A team of garment owners will leave for Vietnam today to learn about trade unions, workers’ productivity and working environment in the country’s apparel sector.
The delegation will see what industrial practices exist in the South-east Asian nation and if they could be applied in the Bangladeshi garment sector to ensure workers’ rights and improve productivity.
The four-member team is comprised of representatives from Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA.)
“During the visit, we will talk to workers and trade union leaders,” said BGMEA vice president ShahidullahAzim who is also a member of the delegation.
BKMEA vice president Mohammed Hatem, director Md Shamsuzzaman and Youngone Corporation Bangladesh’s consultant Mehedy Mahbub are also in the team.
According to BGMEA data, Bangladesh workers’ productivity is 77% while the Vietnam’s workers productivity is 90%.
In the fiscal year 2012-13, Bangladesh exported RMG products worth $21.5bnwith employing 40m workers while Vietnam exported $17bn with 1.5m workers during the same time.
“The visit is to see the wage structuresand living standard of the workers in Vietnam’s apparel sector,” said Mohammed Hatem.
The issue of trade unionism in Bangladesh’s garment sector came to the spot light after the Rana Plaza disaster, putting emphasis on greater workers’ freedom in association.
Following the deadliest incident in the garment history, the United States suspended GSP facility for Bangladesh and asked to improve working conditions and ensure workers’ rights in the RMG sector. Recently, BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said:“Before Rana Plaza collapse there were 35 trade unions in the sector. Now it is now 96 while another 66 are awaiting approval.”