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MORIUM AKTER, General Secretary Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF) Bangladesh and The Ready Made Garment Industry (RMG)

Area total: 56,997 sq. mi Population: 150 million Capital city: Dhaka Largest Port city: Chittagong

With more than150 million people and 56,997 sq. mi., Bangladesh is one of the poorest and most heavily populated countries in the world, formed out of the eastern region of Pakistan in 1971, which gained independence during the partition of British India in 1947.

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Geographical status of Bangladesh 2

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Public: Jute, Power Generator, Railway, Paper, Steel, Fertilizer, etc. Private: Ready Made Garment, Textile, Shrimp, Shoe, Leather, Cosmetics, Plastic Products, Pharmaceuticals, Communication, Road Transport, etc.

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Ready Made Garment Industry (RMG): 5,000-plus ready-made garment factories.  More than four (4) million workers, of which 80 percent are women that represent almost 70 percent of all women employment in the nation’s manufacturing sectors. Bangladesh is the second largest garment exporter in the world, behind China 

Bangladesh is the third largest garment exporter to the European Union, and is the fourth to the United States of America. 

The industry accounts for 13 percent of the gross national product (GNP), 75 percent of total exports, and 80 percent of foreign exchange earnings. 

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A RMG FACTORY

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Core Union Partners of the Solidarity Center: Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF) Bangladesh Garment and Industry Workers Federation (BGIWF) Bangladesh Federation of Workers Solidarity (BFWS) National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) BIGUF IS PROUD OF ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SOLIDARITY CENTER 6

The number of special things make BIGUF special in Bangladesh BIGUF is the largest federation in the RMG industry in Bangladesh, has 1,10,000 solidarity members. BIGUF’s constitution ensures it as an independent organization, which is free of any political biasness, where in Bangladesh most of the federations have involvement with political parties. BIGUF believes in women leadership in the garment sector as the majority of the workforce is women. BIGUF was formed and officially registered by the female garment workers in 1996 and that initiated the idea that women should be the main leadership to reflect the workers in the RMG industry in Bangladesh. BIGUF believes in organizing plant level workers as one of its core works, it has 18 plant level affiliate unions with 8,000 dues paying members. BIGUF’s Constitution ensures 20 of the 25 Executive Committee Members including the President and General Secretary to be female. In the last five years, BIGUF assisted workers to file highest number of cases (1,265) in the formal courts demanding termination benefits, recognition of union leaders, due payments and reinstatement of workers, of which 837 were settled.

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Workers of the Ready Made Garment Industries are in a discussion meeting on the International Women’s Day 2013 8

Main Activities of BIGUF Organizing in RMG Factories Legal and Technical Support for RMG & EPZ Workers BIGUF Works on Occupational Health & Safety Issues

BIGUF leverages the brands as a tool to assist plant level unions to achieve collective bargaining agreement BIGUF conducts leadership development in the RMG BIGUF does monitoring individual and collective violation in RMG  BIGUF does coalition building & campaign on workers’ common issues  BIGUF provides recommendation to Government and Policy makers on labor issues 9

Challenges to form unions: Termination Blacklisting Physical Assault Close Monitoring High Production Target False case Arrest Jail Divorce of female workers by husband

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BIGUF is involved in Justice Campaign for the Victims of the Saver Tragedy, the global worst ever industrial disaster that took place on April 24, 2013, the collapse of an eight-story building, Rana Plaza, occupied primarily by five RMG factories with more than 5,000 workers, where 2,438 survivors were rescued, 1,129 died and countless people remain missing.

Women Leadership Building Training: Women trade union leaders are upholding their commitment to promote their role and involvement in the trade union movement of Bangladesh 12

Group work presentation on Gender Equality

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No More Death Build Union Promoting Women Leadership

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