According to the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), worker’ organisations in the RMG industry remain either weak or in a non-functional state.
The observation was made at the closing session of a conference titled “Transformation in the RMG Sector in Post-Rana Plaza Period: Findings from CPD Survey,” held at the Khazana Gardenia Grand Hall in Dhaka.
Though the presence and participation of worker representatives in factories has increased, they are yet to be effective, the CPD survey said. Furthermore, formation of trade unions in the sector faced many obstacles beyond the usual process, it added.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s apparel sector has seen unbalanced upgrades with limited focus on economic and technological issues, especially in small and medium enterprises, CPD also said.
They expressed fears that upgrades in such a manner may limit their positive impact in the long run, particularly in terms of the upgrading firms’ overall competitiveness.
CPD Research Director Dr Khandoker Golam Moazzem presented the research findings. Dutch Embassy Head of Mission in Bangladesh Jeroen Steeghs, Swiss counterpart Andres Ohrstrom, GIZ Bangladesh Program Coordinator Dr Rodney Reviere, and East West University economics department Prof Enamul Haque addressed the session.
