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Area total: 56,997 sq. miPopulation: 150 million Capital city: DhakaLargest Port city: Chittagong

MORIUM AKTER, General Secretary Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF)

Bangladeshand

The Ready Made Garment Industry (RMG)

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.

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

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

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

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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

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Main Activities of BIGUFOrganizing 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

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Challenges to form unions:

TerminationBlacklisting

Physical AssaultClose Monitoring

High Production TargetFalse case

ArrestJail

Divorce of female workers by husband

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.

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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

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Group work presentation on Gender Equality

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No More DeathBuild Union

Promoting Women Leadership