Mobilising trade unions: Building equity in the garment supply chain workplaces in Bangladesh

In 2013, the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh caused the death of 1,134 predominantly women garment workers. Since then, ensuring ethical and sustainable practices within the garment supply chain has been paramount in the fast-paced world of apparel manufacturing. Therefore, 256 leading brands, including almost all the large retail brands of Australia, like KMART, TARGET, BIG W, and Cotton On, undertook a voluntary compliance regime to enhance workplace conditions and ensure their safety and security in factories of the widely acknowledged Ready Made Garment (RMG) Sector of Bangladesh.

Given that 80% of the 4 million workers employed in Bangladesh's RMG Sector are women, it is imperative to address their workplace conditions. The Decent Work Agenda of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has been at the forefront of this advocacy. However, despite the ILO's efforts, the recognition and conditions of women workers in Bangladesh’s garment industry remain a challenge. This underscores the urgent need for further action to align with the United Nations Decent Work Agenda, a call that has gained global recognition.

In this challenging context, my collaborative research program has partnered with workers, trade union federations, and local-level research-based non-government organisations to advocate for and facilitate equitable participation for better work conditions. Through stakeholder-driven research engagements and methods, my research program has made tangible interventions on the ground, contributing to the ongoing efforts for a more equitable garment industry.

My research has been undertaken in two phases. First, my program focused on analysing the misrecognition and non-recognition of women workers in enacting compliance regimes from 2013 to 2019, which influenced ILO policy.

The second phase of my activist research program aims to centralise women workers’ rights, recognition, and, thereby, their status in the factory and society. To do this, I have been mobilising by organising workshops involving the Trade Union Federations and their members (i.e., women garment factory workers), compliance consultants, as well as NGOs, journalists, and academics working on the Sector to investigate and monitor:

Wage theft and timely payment of wages
Provision or low-cost food or rationing systems
Informing workers about their rights, such as medical leave during periods of illness, short breaks for those who have breastfeeding children, maternity leave with benefits, hostels for unmarried workers to ensure their security
Advocating for the right of workers to have their union at the factory level

Outcomes

My findings revealed that women workers remain non/misrecognised in the changes that have been made to labour governance at the factory level and have informed International Labour Organisation (ILO) policy. Specifically, the ILO has:
- Adopted outcomes from my research to argue in national and international policy contexts that the absence of strong labour protection policies is associated with the exploitation of workers.
- Highlighted my findings in their arguments that the dominance of transnational private governance of labour and workers’ rights has been responsible for eroding the role of workers’ representation and trade unions.
- Highlights the importance of global and local union involvement in labour governance as a result of my research.
Through my partnership with two trade union federations and two compliance consultants working with compliance firms, my research efforts inform workers of their rights and recognition by engaging with factory-based Workers’ Committees.
My regular visits, meetings with the trade union representatives, and discussions with garment workers are beginning to generate change. For example, workers associated with two trade union federations are running workers’ committee elections and negotiating with management.
Combining these actions across factories, empowering workers, and mobilizing trade unions contributes to women garment workers’ jobs and social security, as well as to the accountability of garment businesses and the ethical procuring of clothing brands.
- 2024: Relational Recognition and Organizing Situated Responsibilities and Rights in the Global Production Network – Insights from the Garment Industry of Bangladesh, Organised by the Independent University of Dhaka, Bangladesh.
- 2021: Participated in the UNGPs 10+ consultation on the gender dimensions of business and human rights, intending to inform the Work of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs10+ ‘next decade’ project, 2021).
- 2019: Delivered a keynote in ‘What She Makes Campaign’. Oxfam Australia, Organised by the Oxfam–Monash Partnership (OMP), Australia.
- 2018: Invited Speaker. Annual International Conference on 'Making Compliance Work: Challenges and Innovations' by German-Southeast Asian Center of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG), Thammasat University, Bangkok.

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Mobilising trade unions: Building equity in the garment supply chain workplaces in Bangladesh

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