Professor Dr Sabbir Ahmed has urged the formation of trade unions to alleviate the intolerable conditions faced by workers and small entrepreneurs engaged in informal processes within the apparel industry.
He made these remarks at a dialogue titled “The Current Situation of Workers and Small Entrepreneurs in the Informal Processes of the Apparel Industry and the Potential and Necessary Policy-Level Actions Regarding Trade Union Formation,” held on Wednesday at the auditorium of the World Literature Center in the capital.
Speaking at the dialogue organised by REDI (Research Evaluation and Development Initiative), Professor Dr Sabbir Ahmed from the Department of Political Science at the University of Dhaka said, “We have identified the work done by labourers in the backward linkages of the garment sector as part of the formal sector. A difference exists between the rights of these workers and the rights of workers in the formal sector; this gap must be reduced. The condition of female workers in this sector is intolerable. Trade unions are needed to overcome this situation. Laws exist, but a pressure group is required to implement those laws.”
Former Secretary of the Planning Commission, Zakir Hossain Akand, said at the dialogue, “Our small entrepreneurs and workers, these two classes, are facing immense challenges. International aid agencies or development agencies are providing financial and technical assistance in this regard. However, I believe it will take time to see benefits from this, because development is a continuous process.”
Participants in the dialogue opined that the government, development agencies, and the private sector must work together to ensure the rights of workers and to organize them.
