IRLW 1243 (5th Batch)

Research Proposal

Blue-Collar Workers in Bashundhara Food & Beverage Industry Ltd (BFBIL 03),
Bangladesh: Their Working Environment, Social Security and Living Standards.

Name: Md. Hajrat Ali

Student ID: SMP-I05402 (Group 02)

Session: 2021-22

Course Teacher

Professor Dr. Razina Sultana

Department of Social Work

Jagannath University
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………1

2.0 Problem’s Statement ………………………………………………………………….............1

3.0 Literature Review ……………………………………………………………………….........2

4.0 Objectives of Research……………… …………………………………………….................3

5.0 Key Words……………… ……………………………………………………........................3

6.0 Research Methodology……………………………………………………………………......4

7.0 References……………… …………………………………………………………….............5

1.0 INTRODUCTION:

Food Industry plays an emergent role in the economy of Bangladesh. The Bashundhara Food and Beverage
Industries limited (BFBIL) is a leading food and beverage company located in Bangladesh. It is must be said
that BFBIL opened the luck of many under-privileged rural people of the country to work at the town and
change their lives, lifestyles, and socio-economic conditions. Mainly males are employed in BFBIL. Their
social and economic status with working environment & security is not changed despite high potentiality
of food sector. The study will be based on the social and economic status of workers who are currently
working in BFBIL. The interview will be one to one interaction. The privacy of the information extract from
the interview will be assured at all times. The confidentiality of individual information will be protected.
From another study’s findings that BFBIL workers are generally young, unmarried, with little education or
ignorant of rural origin and from poor families. However, appearances in some cases of workers have
transformed over time. Some of these characteristics contrast between workers employed in the BFBIL
which have the formation of compliance and non-compliance overcome soon by competing with quality.
For any kind of practical knowledge to understand the socio-economic status of blue-collar workers, it is
imperative to go in touch with the workers who work in food sector. A student/researcher’s knowledge,
indulgence, and efficiency are equivalent to technical knowledge.

Currently I am working as a permanent employee of Bashundhara Food and Beverage Industries Ltd
(BFBIL) which is a sister concern of Bashundhara Group. Recently, under the Special Master’s Program of
Jagannath University, I chose BFBIL for research on blue-collars workers because I have job experience
from here as an and I know about this industry from closer observation.

2.0 PROBLEM’S STATEMENT:

Breaking the cycle of poverty involves full employment and decent work. Research empowers us
with knowledge. We get to know the way of nature, and how our actions affect it. We gain a deeper
understanding of people, and why they do the things they do. Best of all, we get to enrich our lives
with the latest knowledge.

Blue collar workers are working in process-based manufacturing plant in Bangladesh typically
earns around 12,000 BDT per month. According to Minimum Wages Board (MWB), Salaries
range from 7810 BDT (lowest average) to 17900 BDT (highest average, actual maximum salary
is higher). This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits.
There are no compliances auditing or research has been done regarding living conditions, working
environment & social security measures of workers in any sector of Bangladesh. It is not even
topic of discussion while RMG sector have been emphasized from all sides specially after several
tragedies like Rana Plaza & Tazreen Fire. We want to figure it out in a small perspective. How so-
called high salaried (compare to nontechnical) workers live, where they live, how much they earn,
what they eat, what they wear, how many they have dependent for contribution, how they take
health care, how is their housing facilities, how they get entertainment, how much money they can
save.

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3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW:

As though government has formed ministry of labour & empowerment for the established decent
working environment and improved quality of life of the workers. Moreover, The Bangladesh
Sramik Kalyan Foundation Act, 2006 (Act No. 25 of 2006) was enacted for the welfare of workers
engaged in the institutional and non-institutional sectors. The Act came into effect on 01 October
2006. This Act is a modernized version of the Company Profits (Employee Participation) Act,
1968. Due to the absence of specific procedures and obligations, the law has not been properly
implemented. Apart from this, a decision was taken on the 13th meeting of the Standing Committee
of the Ministry of Labour and Employment to amend this Act. Amending the Act, the 'Bangladesh
Workers Welfare Foundation (Amendment) Act, 2013 was published in the extra issue of the
Bangladesh Gazette on 17 February 2013. A regulation of the Act was enacted on 18 October
2010.

There have been a lot studies in Bangladesh dealing with workers standard of living. Most of them
are garments sector based. The common and relevant studies which have been conducted in the
past in home and abroad are highlighted here. Mustafa (2016) conducted to document the socio
demographic profile of women workers and to assess the impact of employment in livelihood
change. The study showed that with the involvement in industry all workers had brought positive
changes in different types of livelihood assets such as financial capital, physical capital, human
capital, social capital and natural capital. Nahar (2013) has conducted and analysed on
occupational health hazards as well as their health condition in industrial sector of Bangladesh.
The survey revealed that the particular nature of work in industry created various types of health
hazards such as headache, malnutrition, musculoskeletal pain, eye strain, less appetite, chest pain,
fainting, diarrhoea disease, hepatitis, food poisoning, asthma, fungal infection, dermatitis etc. It
occurred due to heavy work load with prolong work in congested and hot humid environment and
not to take meal at appropriate time. Mohiuddin (2014) The study actually described the
contribution of women in garment sectors, their social, health, economic status, the participation
of women in garment sectors, their legal rights in readymade garment sectors following national
and international laws, policies, norms, rules and regulations etc. The study recommended that
physical environment of industry need to be refreshed and restructured, day care centre needs to
be established, salary be increased. Ahmed & Raihan (2014) the study was conducted to find out
the health status of the workers. 200 workers of Bangladesh were interviewed to identify the major
diseases they experienced. The study revealed that the majority of the workers are suffering from
the diseases like problems in bones, abortion complexity, dermatitis, back pain, eye stain, pruritus,
malnutrition, respiratory problems, hepatitis (Jaundice), gastric pain, fatigue, fever, abdomen pain,
common cold, and helminthiasis. The study suggested that policy makers and other concern bodies
should take necessary measures to ensure good health of the workers. Begum (2008) the study was
an attempt to analyse various socio-economic aspects of rural to urban migration including its
impact on the livelihood patterns of migrants. Data were collected through personal interviews
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with the selected samples. It was found that most of the respondents migrated to Dhaka because
of their extreme poverty or insolvency namely the young, educated and unmarried persons were
largely migrating to the city. The study examined that migration from rural to urban area improved
the income level, educational attainment, expenditure pattern and increased the use of modern
facilities like gas stove, pressure cooker, television, refrigerator, mobile phone etc. Overall
findings showed that rural to urban migration had positive impact for the improvement of the
migrant’s livelihood patterns. Chansamphors (2008) this research attempted to study the workers’
daily living activities and their perceptions toward standard of living. And figure out the important
factors that mostly affect the workers’ standard of living. The main basic living requirements of
the garment workers in Cambodia are food, health, housing, utilities, health, and transportation.
The first and foremost finding in this research confirmed that there are four important indicators
such as food, housing, utilities and health should be taken into account when studying the
Cambodian garment workers’ standard of living. Transportation and Education is less important
for their daily life.

4.0 OBJECTIVES OF RESEARCH:

Objectives are stated as follows:

i. To identify the socio-economic status of the blue-collar workers in Bashundhara Food

and Beverage Ind. Ltd (BFBIL 03).
ii. To identify their working environment.
iii. To identify the social security status & living standards.
iv. To compare blue-collars current situation with the baseline standard for identifying
the gap.

5.0 KEWORDS:

Blue-collar Workers:

Most skilled technical workers are in ‘blue-collar’ occupations: installation, maintenance, and
repair; construction; production; protective services etc

PPE:

Personal Protective Equipment is equipment worn to minimize exposure to hazards that cause
serious workplace injuries and illnesses.

BFBIL 03:

Bashundhara Food and Beverage Industries Ltd, Flour Mill Unit Number 03.

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Manufacturing Sector:

Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help

of equipment, labour, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation.

Food Sector:

The term food sector covers a series of industrial activities directed at the
production, distribution, processing, conversion, preparation, preservation, transport, certification
and packaging of foodstuffs.

6.0 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Both qualitative and quantitative data will be used for assessing the present situation of blue-collar
workers before and after evolving Bashundhara Food sector. Many socio-economic indicators
influence the livelihood pattern of people. However, this paper will give focus on the present social
security status, living standards & working condition of blue-collar workers to ensure a sustainable
livelihood. The 1. socio-economic condition will be analysed considering the several indicators
like salary, house rent, house, living space, age, living area, family member, spouse profession,
child education etc. 2. The working environment situation will be analysed considering indicators
like working space, sanitation, use of ppe. 3. social security status will be analysed considering
pension, health insurance, gratuity and others. The sample population of blue-collar workers will
be collected from Bashundhara Food and Beverage Ind. Ltd (BFBIL03) who are currently working
with this factory. The sample size is 50 randomly and the interview will be conducted based on a
questionnaire. A questionnaire with a relevant question based on the objective of the research will
be given to the respondent and their information will keep wordless. The medium of language
during the interview session will be bengali as the local language of Bangladesh is Bengali. After
collecting the data from the respondents, the data will be analysed and reported in English.

7.0 REFERENCES:

1. Socio-Economic Factors of Readymade Garments Workers in Bangladesh by Dr. Nazrul Islam

2.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/351583478_Living_Standards_Reexamining_the_Sta
ndard_of_Living_of_the_People_of_the_Southwest_Coastal_Areas_of_Bangladesh_Evidences_
from_the_Sustainable_Development_Goal_9.

3. Annual Report for the Year 2017 of BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and
Exporters Association), Dhaka, Bangladesh.

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4.Workers of Bangladesh, Study report of Bangladesh Occupational Safety. Health and
Environment Foundation (OSHE), West Pantapath, Dhaka.

5. ilo.org, https://www.ilo.org

6.Wikipedia, https://www.wikipedia.org