Protecting garment workers' rights

The Global Rights Index 2020 pointed out violence, mass dismissals and regressive laws for the worst situation in Bangladesh.

The country has once again been ranked among the 10 worst countries in the world where labour rights are not guaranteed. The International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) has given the grade to the South Asian country for the fourth consecutive years since 2017.

The Global Rights Index 2020 pointed out violence, mass dismissals and regressive laws for the worst situation in Bangladesh. It said the country's workers were unable to exercise their basic rights at work without fear of retaliation and brutal repression.

 According to the survey, about 46 per cent out of 1,104 union registration applications examined between 2010 and 2019 were rejected by the country's Department of Labour. Of the 575 unions registered, it revealed, 62 have been busted or are inactive due to anti-union retaliation.

A new trend shows multiple scandals over government surveillance of union leaders in an attempt to instil fear and put pressure on independent unions and their members.

These threats to workers, the country's economies and democracy were endemic in workplaces. In many countries including Bangladesh, repression of unions and governments' refusal to respect rights and engage in social dialogue exposed workers to illness and death.

It found severe cases in Bangladesh where labour courts accumulated a three-year backlog while a staggering 18,000 cases filed by workers are still pending.

In Bangladesh, the report said, a section of the Department of National Security under Home Ministry was created to target the garment trade unionists for surveillance. Since September 2019, industrial police have visited garment federations, seeking their monthly activities, expenditure, members' names, participants of their activities as well as the labour disputes they handled.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Ombudsman of the European Union has recently turned down the plea from a group of labour rights organisations for withdrawal of GSP facilities being enjoyed by Bangladesh for alleged violation of labour rights.

The organisations had filed the complaints with the EU Ombudsman against the European Commission, claiming that it has failed to investigate the alleged labour rights violations.

Declaring the cases 'closed', the EU Ombudsman ruled that the European Commission is on right track by not taking any step to start the process of GSP withdrawal.

Commenting on the EU Ombudsman's verdict, local experts say that it gives Bangladesh's garments sector a breathing space.

But at the same time, they say it should be remembered that the EU is observing the country's state of labour rights and they can withdraw the GSP if the country fails to meet the requirements. So, we have to work seriously to ensure labour rights and other compliances, they added.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President lauded the EU move, saying that it would help step up the garments entrepreneurs' ongoing efforts to ensure labour rights in their factories.

In the cases on 'the European Commission's actions regarding the respect for fundamental labour rights in Bangladesh in the context of the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences', the complainants considered that Bangladesh does not fully respect fundamental labour rights and that, therefore, the Commission should start the procedure allowing it to withdraw Bangladesh's trade preferences under the scheme.

The Commission informed the Ombudsman of how it has engaged with Bangladesh on the issue so far and the actions it has taken. It also said that it may decide to withdraw Bangladesh's trade preferences as a measure of last resort.

The EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP) removes import duties from products coming into the EU market from vulnerable developing countries. The GSP is based on international values and principles, including labour and human rights.

Garment workers in Bangladesh face poor working conditions and anti-union tactics by employers including assaults on union organisers. Since the catastrophic Rana Plaza factory collapsed in 2013 claiming more than 1,100 workers lives, efforts have been taken to make Bangladesh factories safer.

All said and done, the government and western retailers should do more to enforce international labour standards to protect workers' rights, including their right to form unions and advocate for better conditions.

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