7/27/2020 Is the new model of trade unions the answer? | The Daily Star https://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/the-new-model-trade-unions-the-answer-79997 1/3 17 Nazneen Shifa, Saydia Gulrukh and Mahmudul Sumon THE history and development of trade unions in the garment sector is different from other industrial sectors of Bangladesh. We know that the trade union in the garment sector has never been allowed to grow at the same pace since the development of the industry. There has been a continuous effort to hold back trade union activities in many ways. Sometimes this was achieved for trade liberalisation, in the name of creating trade union free Export Processing Zones to attract the global market etc. In these cases, the state's role has been very minimal in the sense that often it implemented policies prescribed by the World Bank and other international bodies. As far as trade unionism is concerned, of late we are witnessing curious initiatives by various donors and NGO partners to promote labour union in this sector. Suddenly, there is a rise of registration of trade unions and we find the rise in number rather drastic; for example, an ILO report shows that a total of 96 trade unions have been registered within an eight month period in 2014 (from July 2013 to February 2014), whereas only two unions were registered in the last two years before July 2013 (from July 2011 to June 2013)! We wonder whether this sudden rise of trade unions is accidental, or whether there are other factors behind it. Generally, actors of this sector and “experts” see the absence of trade union activity as a major reason for workers' exploitation. Often it is said that had there been union activities, much of these “accidents” could have been avoided. It appears that to solve these problems, different actors are becoming active and making an effort to increase the number of registered trade unions. We are not saying that this is good or bad. Rather what we would like to point out is that these initiatives do not generally consider the history of the labour movement and contextual intricacies (i.e. changes in labour laws) of the garment sector of Bangladesh. As researchers, we wonder whether these initiatives are at all close to the worker's lived reality or whether they will only serve the purpose of different economic and social interest groups. We believe that it is vital to understand the reality of the workers when bringing about any change. What is the reality of workers to engage in trade union activity? Workers in this sector have to work in the factory for 12-16 hours on a regular basis. While overtime means extra work for higher payment, this can be a misnomer in a Bangladeshi context. Here 10 hours work is considered as regular working hours. Overtime is mandatory and it's a regular phenomenon. What is worse is that the workers get less payment than their regular pay for their “overtime.” Considering the reality of the workers, we wonder whether it is possible to do any other activity after 12-16 hours of factory work. Moreover, more than 80 percent of the female workers in this sector have to do regular household chores after getting back home. They are discouraged by the factory management to be involved with union activity. According to a female worker, “The management does not see those workers positively who are assertive and who are involved with union activity. Such female workers, moreover, face Home  Opinion  Politics 12:00 AM, May 01, 2015 / LAST MODIFIED: 12:57 AM, May 20, 2015 MAY DAY 2015 Is the new model of trade unions the answer? Monday, July 27, 2020 YOUR RIGHT TO KNOW Shares  TOP