Emily Franklin
Population and Environment
11 December, 2013
Annotated
Bibliography:
The
Changing Face of Bangladesh
Introduction
For this project, I chose to research how the recent,
rapid population growth in developing countries has affected the working
conditions within those countries, and the jobs available to the people, with a
focus on Bangladesh. I chose this subject because I recently completed a
project for another class that involved researching labor laws and practices in
the garment industry in Bangladesh. While I was conducting this research, I
learned of the dramatic population growth there over the past thirty years, as
well as the appalling labor violations in the Bangladesh garment industry,
which makes up over 80% of the country’s annual exports.
With
the garment industry being such a large part of Bangladesh’s economy, I was
inclined to believe that the state of the factories and their employees would
be an accurate representation of the state of the country as a whole, in terms
of living/working conditions. In addition, as urbanization continues to occur,
and the garment sector continues to grow, it will gather more and more
influence on the state of the nation’s economy.
Figure
1. Bangladesh population. Retrieved from http://www.tradingeconomics.com/bangladesh/population
Bibliography
Ahmed, Akter, and Hossain. (2010).
Retrieved November 1, 2013, from
http://www.peopletreefoundation.org/uploads/1/5/5/1/15517332/report-of-the-baseline-study-on-bangladesh.pdf
This study provides an overview of the current labor
practices in the garment manufacturing and construction industries in
Bangladesh. “The overall objective
of this study then is to propose reform in the labor law for the promotion of
decent work, reducing poverty and ensuring workers’ protection.” This source
details discrepancy between the current Bangladesh labor laws, and how
Bangladeshi workers are actually treated by their employers, according to
studies and surveys conducted in country.
Hossain, Ahmed, and Akter explain Bangladesh’s labor laws,
as of 2010. These laws include, but are not limited to, a set maximum number of
hours to be worked weekly and daily, minimum wage and overtime pay
requirements, physical safety provisions, and several clauses meant to create and
preserve easier, safer ways for employees to create or join unions.
This
aids in answering my questions through pointing out the shortfalls of
Bangladeshi labor laws and regulations, and how these affect the people
employed there. It implies that, despite how much the garment industry in
Bangladesh is flourishing, due to the large amount of human capital there, the
country is seriously struggling to keep up with the developed world in terms of
human/workers rights. It shows that while, in theory, Bangladesh has the same
working standards as more developed nations, they are either unable or
unwilling to make the adjustments needed to actually put these standards into
practice.
Bangladesh: amended labor law falls
short. (2013). Retrieved November 2, 2013
from
http://www.hrw.org/news/2013/07/15/bangladesh-amended-labor-law-falls-short
This article insinuates that the Bangladeshi
government has no intention of upholding their recently updated list of labor
laws, but that, instead, they were adjusted only to distract from the recent
not-so-natural disasters. It also states that the new laws are still not up to
par with international standards. In July of 2013, the Bangladeshi parliament
made their most recent revisions to the country’s labor laws, in reaction to
the Rana plaza factory collapse in the capitol city of Dhaka that occurred in
April. The collapse killed over 1,000 people, injuring many more. According to
Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director of the Human Rights Watch,
The Bangladesh government desperately wants to move
the spotlight away from the Rana Plaza disaster, so it’s not surprising it now
is trying to show that it belatedly cares about workers’ rights. This would be
good news if the new law fully met international standards, but the sad reality
is that the government has consciously limited basic workers’ rights while
exposing workers to continued risks and exploitation.
This aids in answering my questions through its’
argument that the Bangladeshi government is just putting on an act, in an
effort to impress and satisfy their more developed allied nations. Despite its’
recent economic growth, Bangladesh still does not seem to have the resources to
pass on to the lowlier citizens, through a serious update in the way factories
and other places of work are run.
Greenhouse, S. (2013). Retrieved
October 30, 2013, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/17/world/asia/under-pressure-bangladesh-adopts-new-labor-law.html?_r=2&
This article briefly discusses the new labor laws put
in place in Bangladesh,
following
the Rana Plaza collapse. These laws were adopted just a few weeks after the
U.S. temporarily suspended trade privileges with Bangladesh. Lawmakers claim
that the new regulations exist to protect workers’ rights, but rights groups
disagree, saying the new laws do little for the workers’ protection, and
reverse some of the progress that has recently been made on the behalf of
unions. However, Bangladeshi chairman of the parliamentary subcommittee on
labor reform, Khandaker Mosharraf, told Reuters: “The aim was to ensure
workers’ rights are strengthened, and we have done that. I am hoping this will
assuage global fears around this issue.” Unfortunately, one of the biggest
provisions of the new set of laws – one that will set aside 5% of all factory
profits for a welfare fund for their employees – also provides exemption for
export-oriented factories. The trouble is, in Bangladesh’s developing economy,
most factories are export-oriented.
The
information in this article is helpful because it sheds some light on the union
situation in Bangladesh. As doors are being opened for the massive workforce of
Bangladesh, through the empowering of unions, business owners are struggling to
keep their factories running smoothly, and doing what they can to discourage
unionization. Short term, it makes sense for employers to keep their workers
from doing anything that could potentially cost their businesses time or money,
and it makes sense for the country’s economy, as a whole. If the garment
industry makes up approximately 80% of Bangladesh’s total exports, and this
industry is able to cut costs by treating workers poorly, then that will allow
garment contractors and factories to make more money, boosting the export
economy. However, the long-term consequences of these tactics are most
definitely negative. If things continue as they are now, the Bangladeshi
citizens will continue to just barely scrape by, foregoing education in light
of more pressing needs (i.e. food, shelter, water), and the country will develop
at a much slower pace than is possible.
War on want. (2009). Retrieved November
1, 2013, from
http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Ignoring%20the%20Law%20%20Labour%20Rights%20Violations%20and%20the%20Bangladeshi%20Garment%20Industry.pdf
This
article directly addresses the ways in which labor laws are being broken in
Bangladesh, as well as the major downfalls of the existing codes. It lays open
the true shortfalls of the Bangladesh manufacturing industry- particularly the
garment export industry, which makes up over 80% of the country’s exports. In
addition, it also brings to light the measures being taken by Bangladeshi
workers to fight for safe and humane working conditions for themselves and
their fellow laborers. The current minimum wage in Bangladesh is valued at less
than half of the working wage. The story of Arifa, a factory worker, is not an
unusual one. “I earn Tk 2,200 per month, with overtime [app. $28.28, U.S]”, she
told reporters. “But rent, health
expenses, and food for my family costs me around Tk 5,000. My older brother
sends money from abroad to help make up the difference, but what will happen if
he can no longer afford to help us?”
This
article from War on Want also includes information about the National Garment
Workers’ Federation (NGWF), which is a trade union in Bangladesh, composed of
over 22,000 members, which fights for workers’ rights and safety. This union is
a major way for employees of the Bangladeshi garment industry to make
themselves heard. Some of their major objectives are to reconvene the Wage
Board, taking another look at how minimum wage is decided, and giving trade
unions and civil society organizations a part in that decision-making process;
advocating for gender equality and women’s rights in the workplace; and revising
the law so that trade unions have more strength.
This
information is useful because it highlights the areas in which the people of
Bangladesh are working to create a better working society for themselves, and
the generations to come. The work of trade unions and their advocates during
the American Industrial Revolution was what eventually forced both employers
and the government to create and enforce laws and regulations to improve upon
working conditions in the factories, and I believe we are already beginning to
see the same kinds of actions being taken in Bangladesh. This raises and
interesting question: Will Bangladesh forever be at or near the bottom of the
totem pole, or will they continue to climb, through a combination of their own
economic growth and the ebb and flow of power and affluence in other countries?
War on want. (2013). Retrieved November
1, 2013, from
http://www.waronwant.org/overseas-work/sweatshops-and-plantations/sweatshops-in-bangladesh
This
article focuses on the National Garment Workers’ Foundation (NGWF), which is a
trade union federation of Bangladeshi garment workers, over 22,000-strong, who
advocate for better working conditions, wages, etc. The NGWF was started in
1984, and is the largest trade union in Bangladesh’s garment sector.
In Bangladesh, 3.5 million workers in 4,825 garment
factories produce goods for export to the global market, principally Europe and
North America. The Bangladeshi garment industry generates 80% of the country’s
total export revenue. However, the wealth generated by this sector has led to
few improvements in the lives of garment workers, 85% of whom are women.
Figure
2. Bangladesh factory.
Despite various recent attempts to improve the
conditions in factories across the
country,
workers in the industry are still commonly forced to labor for 14-16 hours per
day, seven days per week, with no overtime pay. In addition, working spaces are
cramped and hazardous, and have caused over 400 deaths since 1990, from factory
fires alone. Women in these workplaces face even greater danger, from sexual
harassment and discrimination, and the refusal of employers to grant maternity
leave, even though the law dictates their entitlement to this privilege.
This
article sheds further light on the largest garment workers’ trade union in the
country of Bangladesh, showing a bit of the history behind the union, and the
growth they have experienced over the last (nearly) thirty years. This
information is interesting because it shows not only the struggles of workers
in the industry, but also the work that is being done to change current
practices, which is important when looking at the current growth of the nation,
and contemplating future projections.
Fleischer, A. (2011). Retrieved
December 7, 2013, from
http://www.academia.edu/712730/Population_Dynamics_in_Bangladesh_A_
case_study_on_the_causes_and_effects_of_demographic_change_in_Bangladesh
This article covers many different aspects of the
demographic change that have
occurred
in Bangladesh over the past several years. It includes statistics about
population growth, urbanization, ageing, disease, socio-economic changes, and
regional disparities, to name a few. Bangladesh has the highest population
density in the world, and it will continue to grow substantially, as the land
area continues to shrink due to climate change and its’ low elevation. In
addition, Bangladesh is experiences very rapid urbanization, with a population
density of 2500,000/square km. The capitol city, Dhaka, is the fastest growing
city in Asia. Furthermore, “socio-economic improvements have resulted in strong
gains in life expectancy. This, together with the sharp reduction in fertility,
changes the shape of the demographic pyramid drastically, which has numerous
repercussions on the society.”
As
more people flock to the cities of Bangladesh, looking for work, the garment
industry—the largest export industry in the country—will be waiting, ready to
put the influx in population to work. The larger the industry grows, the more
affect it will have on the economic and social development of Bangladesh. And
the more unsatisfied employees the industry has, the more volatile the
situation will become, creating the potential for danger and destruction, as
well as the potential for development and progress in the arena of workers’ rights.
BBC (2013). Retrieved December 12,
2013, from
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-24800279
The BBC updates readers on the 77% rise in wages for
garment workers that the people of Bangladesh are seeking. Throughout October
and November of 2013, workers were becoming more vocal in their complaints, and
taking action for change, through a series of several strikes. If the change
occurs, minimum wage would be raised to Tk 5,300, which amounts to
approximately $68 U.S. per month. The proposed minimum wage is still
considerably less than workers first demanded (over 8,000 Tk/month), but the
board took into consideration both the needs of workers and employees when
deciding upon this amount, and is now waiting for the Ministry of Labour and
Employment to approve the new wage.
If this new minimum wage is approved, it will allow
garment workers to provide for their families’ most basic needs, which is a
step in the right direction. Once the majority of people in Bangladesh are able
to provide for themselves and their families, other, more advanced needs will
come to the surface—such as higher education. If the country, as a whole, is
able to improve their literacy rate from the current 47-53% (depending on the
source), and encourage young people to pursue an education above the average
junior high level, the country will be able to progress much more rapidly, in
terms of technological and economical change.
Conclusion
Whether
it is the urbanization in Bangladesh that is leading to the growth of the
garment industry, or the growth of the industry that is contributing to the
country’s urbanization, the two are inarguably tied. And with the percentage of
Bangladesh’s exports that are made up of textile and apparel goods, it is also
impossible to separate the country’s development from the development of the
industry. So, if the people who work in these factories, day in and day out,
suffer from poor working and living conditions, then the state of the country
is going to reflect that, and growth (economic, societal, and technological)
will be stunted. However, if employers/contractors/business owners begin to
take labor laws and codes of conduct seriously, and employees continue to fight
for their rights, then the state of the nation will improve much more quickly.
Developed
countries are not entirely devoid of sub-par labor conditions, sweatshops, or
forced labor. Nevertheless, these
struggles are much more rampant in developing or newly developing nations,
where the infrastructure and funding needed to create safe, flourishing work
environments is lacking.
All
of this research spurs me onto wonder: is Bangladesh’s situation really all
that unexpected, or unique? From what I know of the state of the economies and
working conditions of developing nations, as well as the histories of developed
ones, time spent struggling through changing ideas of humane and just worker
treatment is just another part of the climb to a flourishing, developed
society. So, while it is important to advocate for the lives of the mistreated
and abused, the stories of currently developing nations, in terms of workers’
rights and safety concerns, are not all that different from where our very own
United States was, during the budding industrial revolution. And just as we
came out all right on the other side, after a lot of hard work, so will the
people of Bangladesh, as long as they continue to fight.
