THESIS REPORT ON COMPLAINCE

Over the last years, Ready Made Garments (RMG) sector experienced impressive growth rates and specifically woven and knitwear products are in high demand by the USA and European markets. Adherence with national and international compliance standards has become increasingly important to ensure customer requirements as well as to maintain the sectors competitiveness, but in many cases factory stuff still lacks adequate skills and knowledge to ensure that required compliance standards are reached. This thesis addresses the need to increase the knowledge level of factory practitioners and other interested parties on major social and environmental issues in order to contribute to the sectors competitiveness and to play major role for job, income generation and national economy.

Industrial relations is a multidisciplinary field that studies the employment relationship (Ackers, P., 2002). Industrial relations is increasingly being called employment relations or employee relations because of the importance of non-industrial employment relationships (Philip L., Adrian T., Mark S., 2003); this move is sometimes seen as further broadening of the human resource management trend (Paul B., Rebecca K., 2008). Indeed, some authors now define human resource management as synonymous with employee relations (Ed R., 2008). Other authors see employee relations as dealing only with non-unionized workers, whereas labor relations is seen as dealing with unionized workers (John R O., Susan T C., 2005). Industrial relations studies examine various employment situations, not just ones with a unionized workforce. However, according to Bruce E. Kaufman "To a large degree, most scholars regard trade unionism, collective bargaining and labor-management relations, and the national labor policy and labor law within which they are embedded, as the core subjects of the field" (Bruce E. K., 2008). Under this circumstances, it is a trial to find out Challenges and Prospects of Industrial Relations in the RMG Sectors of Bangladesh.

Social Welfare, Which leads to social work profession, is an applied branch in the immense area of social science. As it is applied science and as it is also a profession, it has some methods for which it has the distinction from others and it is recognized as a profession for its professional standards. In spite of its basic methods it has some helping methods and social research is one of them. Though social research is assimilated into the 'social work frame of reference' as a helping method, it is occupying a distinct position that has great importance. And the basic methods are also influenced by research methodology. Besides, to deliver human service, as social work convert the social policy into social service, social worker has to depend on social research many ways.

The readymade garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh commenced its journey in the late 1970s and within a short period of time emerged as an important player in the economy in terms of export earnings, employment generation, and poverty alleviation and empowering of women. Bangladesh exports its RMG products mainly to the United States of America (USA) and the European Union (EU). Garments exports from Bangladesh have been growing at an impressive rate in recent years. In 2007-08 alone, the garment export earned, a record level of US$10.7 billion in 2007-08. Moreover, it accounts for over 75 percent of the country’s total export earnings, provides employment almost 5 million people, accounts for over 10 percent of the country’s GDP, and contributes around 40% of its manufacturing output. The prospects of RMG sector, however, in Bangladesh not only depends on availability of cheap labor and government’s liberal policy but also depends on compliance with codes of conduct. Compliance means to comply with something or 1 Senior Lecturer in Management, Department of Business Administration, Northern University Bangladesh 2 Assistant Professor, Business Administration Discipline, Khulna University, Khulna 72 Journal of Business and Technology (Dhaka) yield to the wishes of another. RMG sector of Bangladesh needs to improve the factory working environment and various social issues related to the industry. International buyers are very particular about compliance with codes of conduct before placing any import order. Poor housekeeping, storage system, ineffective monitoring and controlling system, disorganized production layout, lack of team– based work, rented factory premises, narrow staircases, closed environment, insufficient light and air, clean drinking water, separate wash room for male and female, etc. are common practices in most of the RMG factories in Bangladesh.

This report presents new research on violations of international labour standards in Walmart garment supplier factories. Information was collected through interviews and focus group discussions including 344 workers engaged in Walmart supply chains in Bangladesh, Cambodia and India; and an in-depth case study, spanning 8 months, of working conditions in an Indonesian Walmart supplier employing 3,800 Indonesian contract workers. These findings, collected between December 2012 and May 2016, are situated in context of both previous studies on Walmart supply chains and the broader context of the global production network.

This report—including interviews with more than 250 workers employed in 60 factories that supply to Walmart—documents the experiences of women garment workers at the base of Walmart garment supply chains. Concentrated in short term, low skill, and low-wage positions, they are at daily risk of gender based violence and harassment at work. This new research documents sexual harassment and violence including physical violence, verbal abuse, coercion, threats and retaliation, and routine deprivations of liberty including forced overtime. The research also makes clear these are not isolated incidents and that gender based violence in the Walmart garment supply chain is a direct result of how Walmart conducts business. Based upon analysis of the spectrum of gender based violence and associated risk factors in the garment industry, these reports include concrete recommendations for an ILO Convention to eliminate gender based violence and harassment in the world of work.

Zunaid, 2011

Readymade Garment Industry of Bangladesh

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh is a comprehensive and unified legally binding agreement between international brands and retailers, unions, NGO’s and governments, designed to structurally improve working conditions in Bangladesh’ RMG sector, specifically focusing on health and safety issues. The aim of this report is to identify the conditions necessary for its successful implementation. A conclusion can only be reached when the reasons leading to poor and unsafe working conditions in the Bangladesh RMG industry are understood. Literature review demonstrates how free trade and trade agreements, more specifically the Multi Fiber Agreement, have influenced the world economy, fueled globalization and have contributed to the development of the Bangladesh’ RMG industry; it further provides an overview of the Bangladesh’ industrial policy framework and its labor laws. The results of an on-line survey provide general insight into CSR attitudes. Interviews with numerous stakeholders, including buyers, suppliers, NGO’s and representatives of governmental institutions have provided a deeper understanding of how the Accord is perceived and identified its critical success factors. This report discusses these factors and concludes with recommendations to BSCI on how to support its participants during the Accords’ implementation process.

The purpose of the study is to explore the challenges faced by Human Resources personnel in ensuring compliance in Ready Made Garments industry in Bangladesh. This is a descriptive study based on survey. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire from HR personnel responsible for looking after the compliance issues in the workplace. The study reveals that the HR personnel faces the least challenge in eliminating child labor from the workplace followed by welfare facilities, safety provision, workplace condition, health provision, etc. Freedom of Association, Occupational Health and Safety training, Harassment and abuse, longer working hours are found to be most challenging to the HR personnel to handle within the factory premises. It also reveals that the most prominent challenge for the HR people in their way to implement compliance is the lack of top management support, followed by lack of awareness of the workers about their rights, lack of government intervention and poor literacy of workers. The findings imply that the owners of the garments need to change their attitude from mere profit making to sustainable business based on fairness and efficiency. Government, NGOs and trade unions should play their role to educate the workers about their rights. The government should demonstrate strong conviction to enforce the laws through training, dialog, and fair and frequent inspection.

as well as on the government regarding the safety of workers and their overall welfare. This study presents an overview of the safety issues in the RMG industry of Bangladesh. Relevant factual cases support our analysis of the industry's safety scenario as a whole. Some of our thoughts and findings are followed by a set of recommendations and conclusions.