Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Asian University for Women (AUW) have entered into a new partnership to pave the way for female garment workers in Bangladesh to fulfill their dreams of higher studies. BGMEA and AWU will collaborate to expand, enhance and promote the education, leadership and empowerment of female garment workers in Bangladesh. BGMEA President Faruque Hassan and Vice Chancellor of AUW Dr Rubana Huq inked the memorandum of understanding (MoU) on behalf of their respective sides at a hotel in Chattogram on Sunday (January 22, 2023). Also Read: 2022 was a year of turning around: BGMEA From BGMEA, first Vice President Syed Nazrul Islam, Vice President Shahidullah Azim, Directors Asif Ashraf, Md. Mohiuddin Rubel and M Ahsanul Hoq, Chair of BGMEA Standing Committee on UD-Woven & Knit Md Nurul Islam while from AUW its Founder Kamal Ahmad, Dean of Arts and Sciences Dr Beena Khurana, Board of Trustee Member Catherine Watters-Sasanuma, Board Member of AUW Support Foundation Kathy Matsui, and acting Dean of Students Suman Chatterjee were present at the MoU signing ceremony. The collaboration aims to create an opportunity for more female workers from Bangladesh’s garment factories to study higher education at AUW free of cost with support from their respective employers. Under the new partnership, BGMEA will cooperate with AUW to facilitate enrolment of 500 qualified females working in RMG factories in Bangladesh in AUW’s five-year university education “Pathways for Promise” program. Read More: Chattogram BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology starts journey Pathways for Promise, an initiative within the AUW and BGMEA, provides free education to talented women from among Bangladeshi garment factory workers. Already over 90 girls, who are RMG workers, are studying at AUW. During the years of studying, the factory authorities pay regular monthly salary to the workers enrolled in AUW so that their families do not face any hardship, according to BGMEA. AUW provides each Pathways scholar a financial aid package that fully covers all costs of room, board, tuition, books and supplies, primary health care and other basic needs throughout the entire duration of her participation in the Pathways for Promise Program. Read More: Safe Digital Space: AUW, UNDP to promote intercommunal, religious harmony BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said the RMG industry is not only the biggest of export earnings but also a means for millions of people to fulfill their dreams. “The Pathways for Promise is a glowing example of how the RMG industry contributes to women realizing their dreams, earning dignity in family and society with education and employment,” he said. “I believe, through today’s MoU signing ceremony, we will take the partnership between AUW and BGMEA to another level and we will be able to contribute more,” he added. Read More: HSBC, AUW launch one-year master of science in apparel, retail management programme Only women who have completed high school are eligible to apply and have to take selection exams. Those who passed are interviewed and successful get admission to the university for higher studies.

The garment workers on Friday staged a demonstration in the city demanding the immediate payment of the salary of June along with Eid bonus. Garment Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (GSKOP), an alliance of 20 worker associations, arranged the demonstration in front of the National Press Club. Read: RMG workers stage demo for third consecutive day demanding pay rise Addressing the function, the leaders of the workers also demanded introduction of dearness allowance to match with market prices of daily essentials, the ration system for workers to buy some essential commodities at subsidized prices, and ensuring the accommodation for workers at low rent. GSKOP joint coordinator Karmul Ahsan, general secretary of Garment Sramik Front Selim Mahmud, President of Motherland Garment Sramik Federation Saleha Islam Santona, President of Garment and Dorji Sramik Federation Mohammad Rafiq spoke at the programme presided over by another GSKOP joint coordinator Abdul Wahed. The labour leaders claimed that the garment factory owners are now having a very good time amid the depreciation of taka against dollar and the rise of purchase orders. But the garment workers are now facing the worst time due to price hike of daily essentials and the tremendous work pressure. Read: RMG workers stage demo in city demanding wage hike They also claimed that it is leant that some factories would not pay the 100 pc salary of June before the Eid-ul Azha. The leaders demanded the payment of the entire salary and full-fledged Eid bonus soon, said a press release.

January of this year was the busiest month for garment workers in Bangladesh since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Workers spent 295 hours on average in the factory during the 27 working days in January, which is higher than usual. This was revealed in a research of South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM), in collaboration with USA-based non-profit organization, Microfinance Opportunities (MFO), on the quality of life of garment workers in Bangladesh.  Also read: Inflation rate is double than the BBS data, says SANEM in a report Around 1,300 selected garment workers are surveyed every week since April 2020 under the project “Garment Worker Diaries”. These workers are employed in factories spread across the five main industrial areas of Bangladesh (Chittagong, Dhaka City, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar). Three-quarters of the survey respondents are women, which roughly represents the composition of labour force in the RMG sector as a whole. This press release has been prepared from the survey data collected in January and February of 2022. Also read: Female labour force participation lagging in Bangladesh: SANEM webinar Excluding the one-hour lunch break, the workers worked 268 hours on average in January. Female workers worked 267 hours on average, while male workers worked 270 hours, excluding the one-hour lunch break. In the 24 working days of February, the workers spent 259 hours on average in the factory. Workers worked 235 hours on an average in February, excluding the one-hour lunch break. Read Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton wears garment made in Bangladesh Among them, female workers worked 234 hours on an average and male workers worked 235 hours on an average. In both January and February, half of the surveyed workers worked more than the legally allowed 10 hours, which accounts 8 regular hours and 2 overtime hours. For the work in December, female workers got a salary of Tk 12,000 on average in January, while male workers got salary of Tk 12,500 on average. Read BGMEA urges BEZA to expedite garment village construction at Mirsarai For the work in January, female workers got salary of Tk 12,000 on average in February, the same as in January. Male workers got a salary of Tk 13,000 on average, a Tk 500 increase over the January amount. In February, 54 percent of workers were paid through mobile financial services (bKash, Nagad, Rocket, etc.) and 46 percent were paid in cash. Read Embrace employees with disabilities, garment industry urged About 20 percent of the garment workers reported that at least one member of their household was ill during February. This illness rate was 26 percent in January.

Two female garment workers were crushed under the wheels of a train on Tongi-Bhairab rail track at the outer signal of Arikhola Rail Station in Gazipur district on Sunday. The deceased were identified as Jesmin, 42, wife of Kabir and Shahinur, 25, wife of Quamrul of Kaliganj upazila of the district. They were workers of Hamim Group. Read: College student dies after being hit by train in Rajshahi ‘Surma Mail’ train hit the two women while they were crossing rail tracks at Khanjana around 7:30 am, leaving them dead, said Station Master Saidul Islam. On information, police recovered the bodies and sent those to local hospital morgue for autopsy.

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has donated a PCR lab, set up in Gazipur to conduct Covid-19 tests of garment workers, to the Diabetic Association of Bangladesh (BADAS). The BGMEA handed over the PCR lab to the BADAS at a programme held in the capital Saturday. Dr AK Azad Khan, president of the BADAS and national professor, was present at the ceremony as the chief guest; BGMEA senior vice-president SM Mannan chaired it. Mannan and Azad signed an agreement for the handover of the PCR lab. Expressing thanks to BGMEA for setting up the PCR lab, the BADAS president hoped that the Diabetic Association and the BGMEA would take more joint initiatives for providing health services to garment workers. READ: BGMEA wants to increase RMG exports to Canada, promote positive image The BGMEA Senior Vice-President said it had been possible for the BGMEA to give services to apparel workers by setting up the PCR lab with the support of a renowned health service provider like the BADAS.

President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Faruque Hassan has thanked the government for providing crucial support to the RMG industry during the difficult time of Covid pandemic that helped the sector "survive and make a turnaround". He also thanked the government for bringing garment workers under the Covid-19 vaccination programme on a priority basis. Read:Netflix Movie: BGMEA protests derogatory remarks on Bangladesh RMG sector Faruque Hassan had a meeting with State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian at the Secretariat on Wednesday and discussed the overall situation of the ready-made garment industry, the BGMEA said on Thursday.  Hassan apprised the state minister of the current state of the industry which is putting in all-out efforts to recover from the pandemic impacts and move ahead.  Read: No alternative to mass vaccination of apparel workers: BGMEA “We requested the government to vaccinate garment workers on a priority basis as there is no alternative to mass vaccination of the workers to keep factories running," said the BGMEA president, adding that all the garment workers are being brought under the vaccine coverage. BGMEA Senior Vice President SM Mannan (Kochi) was also present at the meeting. 

Hundreds of garment workers on Saturday blocked the busy Dhaka-Gazipur Road, demanding the immediate release of their salaries and other dues. The workers of ‘Style Craft Garment’ took to the streets in the morning, disrupting traffic on the busy route. The road soon witnessed a long tailback, causing inconvenience to hundreds of commuters. Also read: Garment workers demonstrate in Gazipur for wages The protesters claimed the factory management has not paid them salaries for the past seven months. Some 700 people work in the factory. On information, Industrial police soon rushed to the spot and pacified the protesters who finally dispersed around noon owing to the abrupt monsoon rains. Additional police personnel have been deployed in the factory area to avert further trouble, said Rafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station. Also read: Pay wages, bonus and arrears of the workers within July 19: Monnujan

The country’s garment workers have little access to adequate information related to COVID-19 immunization, according to a joint survey by the South Asian Network on Economic Modeling (SANEM) and Microfinance Opportunities (MFO).  The survey found that only 22% of the workers who wished to be vaccinated had information on how to gain access to jabs, Sanem said a press release on Sunday. “This is a concern because inability to ensure access to COVID-19 vaccines will put millions of garment workers, who are employed in one of our most crucial industries, at risk,” it said. READ: Focus on policy reforms to boost private sector investment: SANEM In order to facilitate the recovery process of RMG production, export and the economy as a whole, factory owners, government officials, policymakers and advocacy groups will have to come together to prioritize the health and safety of workers. SANEMand  and MFO have been jointly conducting a series of surveys to better understand how the lives of garment workers in Bangladesh have evolved during the COVID-19 crisis.  The press release said that the ready-made garment industry in Bangladesh which has been one of the key drivers of  economic growth, has faced challenges since the start of the pandemic. Consequently, the lives of the workers employed by the sector have been affected in various ways. READ: 68% of businesses yet to receive any stimulus: SANEM   Under the  title "Garment Worker Diaries", SANEM and MFO have been collecting monthly data since April 2020 on the employment, income, food security, wage digitization and health of garment workers employed in factories across the five main industrial areas of Bangladesh (Chittagong, Dhaka City, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Savar).  The data disclosed were collected from a pool of 1,285 workers during surveys conducted over the phone on April 23, 2021.  Just over three-quarters of the working respondents are women, roughly representative of workers in the sector as a whole. The survey focused on COVID-19 lockdown conditions as well as on garment workers’ awareness of and opinions about COVID-19 vaccinations.  Despite the nationwide lockdown, garment-producing factories across the manufacturing sector were allowed to operate with strict guidelines in place.  However, in the absence of sufficient public transport, some apparel workers could not commute to their factories as they normally would: 8% of the workers surveyed told us they had to use alternative means to get to work.  READ: SANEM finds 70% wage-earners in 4 dists. worse off in a year Further, only 4% of surveyed workers reported using factory-provided transportation, indicating that not all factories took the necessary measures to ensure transportation to work for those workers who are reliant upon it.  As it stands though, 76% of the surveyed workers reported that they walk to their workplaces, while only 10% used rickshaws, 6% used auto-rickshaws, 2% used bus, and 2% used CNGs.  Finally, 92% of the surveyed workers also reported that there was no change in their means of transport, indicating that the majority of workers usually travel to work on foot anyways. Only 2% of the surveyed workers had received the COVID-19 vaccine prior to the survey. On being asked whether they think they are eligible to get vaccinated, 36% of respondents said they were eligible, 28% said they were not eligible, and 34% said they did not know if they were eligible.  Among the 36% of respondents said they were eligible for the vaccine, 76% said they want to get vaccinated.  Among the 28% of respondents stated that they were not eligible for the vaccine, 63% said they would get the vaccine if they became eligible.  And among the 34% of respondents who weren’t sure if they were eligible, 65% said they would get the vaccine if in fact they were eligible Overall, 69% of respondents said they were willing to get vaccinated if they were eligible to get the vaccine whereas 31% said they did not want to get vaccinated.  Out of the 31% who were unwilling to get the vaccine, 48% were afraid of side-effects, falling ill or dying, 23% did not feel the necessity or the benefit of getting vaccinated, 17% said they would rely on their religious faith to stay protected, 3% said they were pregnant or suffering from other health problems or allergies, 2% said they were prohibited by their husband, a little less than 1% said they were waiting for everyone else to get vaccinated, and 7% gave us some type of other response.  

President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Faruque Hassan on Wednesday hoped 100 percent of workers’ salaries and festival bonuses will be paid before the day of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. “We urge the all workers not to create any indiscipline.  Over 97 percent factory owners paid workers’ salaries. We hope 100 percent workers’ salaries and festival bonuses will be paid before the day of the Eid-ul-Fitr ,” he said while addressing a virtual press conference. The BGMEA president said 1913 factories under BGMEA are operating in the country Of them, 1667 factories are in Dhaka and 246 in Chattogram. The owners of 1866 (97.54%) factories have paid the salary for the month of April up to May 11. Of these, 1652 are in Dhaka and 214 in Chattogram. And the bonus was paid in 1882 factories (1659 in Dhaka and 223 in Chattogram) which 99 percent till yesterday, he added. “Some 15 factories paid salary of April and 8 factories paid bonus on Wednesday in Dhaka. And 32 factories of Chattorgram paid salary and 23 factories paid bonus today. About 800 factories in Dhaka have been brought under close monitoring and payment of salary and bonus has been ensured by cooperating with 44 factories in various ways,” he added. Also read: Workers cannot leave workplaces during Eid holidays: Monnujan “We always want that our workers stay well. In the last 10 years, the facilities of the workers have been increased more.  We can provide more facilities in future if our productivity and capacity increase. We have to pass a difficult time in the next three months. We hope that the garment industry will overcome its existing problems from the next year. So, we need more support from banks,” he also said. The new BGMEA president said many factory owners fell in cash crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We operate factories amid the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown maintaining health safety. So, our cost also went up vastly. Even, some buyers did not pay money as they were bankrupt following the pandemic,” he added. Faruque said 44 lakh workers are involved in the garment industry. “The livelihood of around 5 crore people directly and indirectly depend on the industry. The ages of most of workers are between 18-30 years. So the coronavirus infection rate  is low in the industry.” Also read: Clear wages, Eid bonus by May 10: RMG workers According to his written statement, after an unprecedented 18% decline in exports in the last financial year, exports have declined by a further 8.72% in the first 10 months of the current financial year. The export crisis especially in the oven sector has reached a climax. During the month of March, it reduced 24.70 percent while in April it decreased 6.37 percent compared to the same period of FY 2018-19. It has been possible to avoid major catastrophes in the economy thanks to positive decision by the Prime Minster. Faruque said they have taken measures in collaboration with the government so that workers get  salary and bonus before Eid.

Tin Tin Wei used to toil 11 hours a day, six days week sewing jackets at a factory in Myanmar. But following the military coup in early February, she hasn't stitched a single garment.