Experts and industry stakeholders have called for a worker-centred just energy transition in Bangladesh’s apparel sector, stressing that the shift towards renewable energy, automation and green production must be accompanied by workers’ rights, workplace safety, reskilling and social protection.
They said the apparel industry needs to invest in clean energy, reduce energy waste and adopt future-ready technologies to remain competitive in a rapidly changing global economy, while ensuring that technological and energy transitions do not leave workers without jobs or adequate support.
The speakers made the remarks at a dialogue titled “Improving Policy Arrangements for Just Energy Transition (JET) in Bangladesh’s Apparel Sector from a Labour Perspective” at 90’s Lounge in Gazipur on Tuesday.
The event was jointly organized by the National Alliance for Just Transition Bangladesh (NAJTB), Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF), Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF), with support from Oxfam in Bangladesh.
The program was part of MJF’s Fashion Forward project, which focuses on making the transition in the apparel sector fair, inclusive and responsive to workers’ rights, livelihoods and workplace realities.
Amer Salim, chairman of the BGMEA Standing Committee on Just Transition, said Bangladesh’s garment sector, which employs nearly 40 lakh workers and contributes 10.4% to GDP, must prepare for rapid changes in the global labour market.
He stressed the need to upskill and reskill workers for future-ready jobs, promote digital learning, uphold the dignity of labour and adopt intelligent factory engineering to build a sustainable and competitive apparel industry.
Md Anowar Hossen, chief coordinator of NAJTB, said a fair and sustainable industrial transition requires technical reskilling, workplace safety and environmental accountability.
He said modern training, reduced operational carelessness and green standards across industrial hubs are essential to ensuring economic growth protects workers’ dignity, safety and well-being.
Asaduzzaman, assistant inspector general (Health) of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), urged industries to reduce their reliance on non-renewable energy.
“Industries must move away from excessive dependence on non-renewable fuels,” he said.
He also called on factory owners to install rooftop solar systems, reduce energy wastage and promote a culture of energy conservation.
Tania Tabassum, additional deputy commissioner of Gazipur, said workers should not bear the cost of technological changes in factories.
“Automation and technological change must not treat workers as disposable,” she said.
She urged factory owners and industry associations to provide structured training when new technologies are introduced, and called for government incentives, lower import tariffs on renewable energy infrastructure and green financing to support the transition.
Trade union leader Noimul Ahsan Juwel called for a dedicated RMG Just Transition Fund, financed by factory owners, buyers and international partners.
He said workers displaced by automation should receive at least a three-month stipend and targeted reskilling support, while urging the formalisation of Bangladesh’s large informal workforce to ensure job security, workplace safety and social protection.
Pablo Neruda, deputy program manager of MJF, said automation must not undermine workers’ rights and livelihoods.
“Automation must not take away workers’ fundamental rights and livelihoods,” he said, urging factory owners to reskill workers affected by automation.
“Through the Fashion Forward initiative, MJF is committed to taking workers’ grassroots realities from Gazipur to the national policy level,” he added.