These unorganised workers lack bargaining power, and are mostly unaware of labour laws, wages and working conditions, leading them to accept unfair terms and endure poor working conditions, long hours and delayed payments, frequently involving middlemen, the report funded by Oxfam and the European Union (WU) revealed.
Home-based Bangladesh garment workers engaged by sub-contractors—93.6 per cent of whom work on a piece-rate basis for apparel units—remain largely invisible, a study found.
They lack bargaining power, and are mostly unaware of labour laws, wages and working conditions, leading them to accept unfair terms and endure poor working conditions, long hours and delayed payments.
More than half (50.6 per cent) of the respondents left factories for reasons like pregnancy, childcare responsibility, marriage, high work pressure, factory closure, long working hours, workplace abuse or harassment and automation.
The average monthly salary of such workers ranges between Tk 4,000 and Tk 5,000. Almost all of them are paid in cash with no bargaining power over wages in fear of losing works.
Many workers and their families are illiterate or less literate, with little understanding of health, safety and gender-related issues at work, the study revealed. This vulnerability is compounded by a lack of organising skills and official recognition.
Bangladesh is yet to ratify the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 177.
The study shows about 15,000 home-based workers are rife at Ashulia, Savar and Gazipur industrial zones, while such workers possibly exist in Narayanganj, Chattogram and Tangail, but no data is available on them.
About 80 per cent of the workers are climate-displaced migrants, while only 15.5 per cent migrated for family reasons, and the rest are staying at their native places.
Around 55 per cent of the respondents engage in seasonal work (five to six months yearly), while 45 per cent work regularly, with higher rates in Ashulia and Gazipur, the study found.
The average working hour is 6.89 hours per day, with a maximum of 13 hours and a minimum of two hours.
Works performed include hand stitching, tipping, stone work, linking, mending, crocheting, embroidery, lace and button work, stickers, sequin work and cutting thread.
Again, 93 per cent of such workers are women, mostly married, with over 50 per cent being young adults. They mostly depend on middlemen who take a substantial share of their earnings, further limiting fair wage distribution.
The supply chain is dominated by sub-contractors (53 per cent) and vendors (35 per cent) with factories directly managing only 18.8 per cent of such work orders.
Only 6.4 per cent of such workers were found receiving fixed monthly salaries.
Their workplace safety remains inadequate, with limited access to protective equipment and first-aid facilities and they face limited access to healthcare, relying mostly on pharmacies and public hospitals.
Fibre2Fashion News Desk (DS)
