IN 2013, the tragic Rana Plaza incident shook the whole country, killing thousands of workers. The tragedy turned the lives of thousands of families upside down. Structural cracks in the building were discovered the day before the incident, but factory owners made their workers come for work. Section 61 of the Labour Act, 2006, instructs that when a building is required to be repaired, it is prohibited to keep it in use. The building could not bear the weight of thousands of workers, and it collapsed. Enforceability of such laws and instructions becomes so difficult to follow in Bangladesh because of the existing economic condition and overdependence on RMG sectors.
The national economy in Bangladesh has been unstable for a while now. The high inflation rate, bank defaults, a complicated tax system, and heavy dependence on the RMG sector are some of the main reasons. Moreover, political instability discourages both foreign and local investments. Though the RMG sector plays a vital role in exports and employment, unresolved disputes within the sector might lead to a decline in exports in the future. Because of the political changeover in 2024, many factories shut down their operation, leaving thousands of workers unemployed.
The interim government intends to focus on improving people鈥檚 daily lives and ensuring fundamental rights rather than large infrastructural projects. However, many have criticised the government because job creation and the development of non-governmental organisations are not given significant focus in the recent budget. Self-employment is an attractive solution, but there are thousands of workers that seek jobs in the conventional job market. The unemployment rate has increased. So, unless the government prioritises job creation and political stability, labour unrest is unlikely to decrease. Weak governance, lack of resources and powerful businesses creating pressure and controlling pricing harshly affect the country鈥檚 economic condition. The economical struggle of the country forces the workers to work beyond their capacity and more than the law permits.
The national economy is overly dependent on the RMG sectors. This dependency gives the garment factory owners an undue power to influence. One of the main reasons for the significant growth of this sector is low labour cost. As a result, this sector faces labour unrest more frequently. Factory owners do not care about settling wage disputes or maintaining workplace safety. More than 80 per cent of total export earnings come from the RMG sector. Still, the factories don鈥檛 comply with safety standards. Frequent accidents continue to occur. Owners are more concerned about earning profit with minimal investment. Even the foreign brands that place orders with Bangladeshi factories emphasise profit more than workers鈥� rights, a healthy work environment or taking safety measures. As a result, millions of workers in this sector continue to work in unsafe factories. The Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, has provisions for maintaining health and hygiene. Nevertheless, the workers often fall sick, suffer from life-threatening health hazards and often die after working several years in these factories. The government has taken actions, such as amending the Act and adding provisions to ensure employment rights and direction for the employers and owners to maintain safety standards. The government has also formed the Task Force on Building and Fire Safety in Readymade Garments Industry to ensure building and fire safety. However, laws are not properly enforced due to the overdependence and the pressure on this sector. Owners often build unpermitted and unsafe additional floors to accommodate more workers. There are hundreds of unsafe and risky factories that need to be shut down. The health and hygiene instructions are not properly maintained, thereby putting thousands of lives at risk.
In an economy like Bangladesh, overtime wages are highly desirable for workers. High inflation rates, unemployment, and not enough job creation lead citizens to seek jobs in informal sectors, where most of the people work for a minimum wage and face difficulties in meeting their daily needs. In this scenario, many workers work for more than ten hours when they are asked. The regular wage of RMG workers is so low that it is not sufficient to meet their daily needs. For this reason, workers have to work more hours almost every day. Though the labour law has provisions that the workers shall not work more than 56 hours per week in a year on average, it often exceeds the limit because of the pressure and workers鈥� needs. Apparently, in 2022, when the government increased the working hours for garment workers because of the excessive workload on garment factories, their income increased, even though their real wage did not rise. However, the data of the rise in their income shows that they willingly worked for the extra hours to earn extra money. Bangladeshi workers even earn much less compared to the neighbouring countries. For instance, in India workers鈥� monthly wage is around $172, whereas Bangladeshi workers earn only about $72. Invariably, workers economically struggle and choose to work overtime. Despite having laws for regulating reasonable working hours, it is not possible to maintain with such low wages.
On the bright side, the chief advisor, Dr Yunus has been in discussion with the International Labour Organisation and has affirmed the government鈥檚 commitment to adopting labour law reforms aligned with international standards. The ILO has emphasised the importance of effective labour dispute resolution and the protection of labour rights. It has also prioritised maintaining economic resilience to prevent labour unrest, which would play a significant role in reducing overdependence and labour unrest in the RMG sector. However, implementing these reforms to meet international standards is still a long-term process. Even if the government ratifies the reforms, the RMG sector owners and stakeholders are unlikely to comply with them unless industrial growth and investments are increased.
In conclusion, labour laws are necessary to avoid arbitrariness in establishments while making service rules by the authority. However, laws are not maintainable when the economic condition of the country struggles to fulfil citizens鈥� daily needs. Being overly dependent on one sector creates pressure on that specific sector, and it minimises the opportunities for the labour. Therefore, labour unrest becomes a frequent incident. Minimum wage, working hours and other disputes stay unresolved, and repeated labour strikes create chaos in citizens鈥� day-to-day lives. Furthermore, the low income of the workers forces them to work beyond what the law permits and not seek legal help when they are deprived of their rights.
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Titeersha Iqbal Nur is a law student at North South University.
