The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has decided to abolish a controversial worker blacklisting system following widespread protests and a revealing report by Dhaka Tribune.
A meeting between workers, factory owners and law enforcement on Monday decided to abolish the practice of blacklisting workers in the BGMEA database.
Although the database maintained by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association was initially created to benefit workers, it has long been a source of controversy.
Workers allege that many were being “blacklisted” in the database, which led to their exclusion from jobs in garment factories.
Following the publication of an article in Dhaka Tribune titled “Stitched out of jobs: How protests sowed the seeds of a blacklist” last month, trade unions demanded the blacklist be scrapped, with the issue also resurfacing strongly in recent garment worker protests.
The Dhaka Tribune report revealed that workers who voiced their demands, in accordance with labour laws, were primarily being blacklisted.
These workers were being denied employment in factories affiliated with the BGMEA. Some were even dismissed after joining new factories once their fingerprints were taken, later discovering they had been blacklisted.
The report also mentioned that some factories had mistakenly blacklisted workers and later issued new certifications to correct the error.
Both garment factory owners and BGMEA leaders acknowledged the existence of the blacklist, as noted in the report.
Labour leaders, labour rights lawyers and other parties concerned condemned the blacklist as a violation of human rights and demanded its abolition.
While the BGMEA had stated that workers involved in criminal offences like harassment, conspiracy, or theft—if legally proven—could have their information shared with regional factories to prevent repeat offences, protests led to the announcement that the blacklist process would be scrapped.
Khayrul Mamun Mintu, legal affairs secretary of the Bangladesh Garment & Sweater Workers Trade Union Centre, said that amid protests over wages, around 100,000 workers, mostly men, had been laid off.
“Those laid-off workers struggled to find employment as negative comments about them were listed in the BGMEA database, preventing them from securing jobs.
“Dhaka Tribune’s significant reporting on this issue helped amplify workers’ demands.”
Mintu said that during recent protests, the demand to abolish the blacklist had been strongly voiced. “In response to these protests, the BGMEA decided in yesterday’s meeting that no workers would be blacklisted moving forward. Dhaka Tribune’s role in this matter was commendable.”
Sifat Khanam, senior staff lawyer at the NGO Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), said it was a positive step for workers.
“No one else had reported on this matter the way Dhaka Tribune did, and this development is truly beneficial for workers.”
Meanwhile, BGMEA President Khandoker Rafiqul Islam said: “We have reached fundamental solutions on key issues, including the decision that no worker will be blacklisted. All parties, including owners and workers, have come to this agreement. If blacklisting occurs, we will take immediate steps to eliminate it.”
