The Role of Trade Union

The Role of Trade Union:

Unions are a type of group that works together to safeguard workers' basic rights, pay, and
benefits, as well as improve working conditions in a company. Their main goal is to use fair
negotiating to regulate the relationship between employees and management.
Unions in the RMG sector engage in a variety of tasks, one of which is leadership. Through
leadership, the union can organize collective bargaining and increase bottom-line
communication. However, among their activities are resolving problems between management
and workers, securing better wages, and maintaining worker safety by assisting workers with
regulations. One of its main goals is to safeguard workers from discrimination and unfair
practices.

Covid-19 Effects on RMG Sector:

COVID-19 poses a serious threat to global public health in both developing and developed
countries. Due to the daily increase in the number of COVID-19 infections in Bangladesh, the
declared a state of lockdown in the country from 26 March 2020, which continued until 30 May
2020. As a result of the lockdown, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporter Association
(BGMEA) closed their factories in line with the government’s lockdown instruction. In addition,
clothing shipment processes became problematic due to the increasing global lockdown
impacted by COVID-19, and while demand for online purchases may have increased, supply
chains could not continue to meet demand given changes to freight options. The COVID-19
pandemic has had devastating moments for these RMG workers, including uncertainty about
whether they will be allowed to wages during the pandemic, as well as related issues like a lack
of income for necessities like food and concerns about factory reopening during this COVID-19
infection periods. Other concerns include after the government imposed a statewide lockdown to
stop the spread of the new coronavirus, millions of RMG sector employees in Bangladesh have
lost their jobs.

Union’s Activities during COVID-19:

During the lockdown, when the RMG industry was shut down, many employees and workers
faced a variety of challenges, the majority of which had an impact on their mental health.
However, according to one study, the administration of the RMG sectors did not take care of the
staff throughout the outbreak. As a result, they are neglecting to pay basic wages and
entitlements to their employees and workers. As a result, unions had a difficult time defending
employees' rights. Despite this, unions play a critical role in ensuring the safety of their
members. During the pandemic crisis, trade unions played a key role in the Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers and Exporter Association (BGMEA) industry.

 At this time, the main objective of trade unions is to ensure that every employee receives
a minimum wage. To doing so, they are expressing their demands to the responsible
authorities. Many labor unions used an aggressive method to bring attention to the
nonpayment of due wages.
 In terms of pandemic health and safety, trade unions collaborated with management to
build a safe long management and ensure that masks and hand washes were available, as
well as giving emergency assistance to their members.
 Some trade unions, such as the Green Bangla Garments Workers Federation, have
worked incredibly hard to protect workers' rights. Garment workers have families to
support. During the lockdown, several unions have extended their support to other
members by providing food and medicine. (Imran & Robin, 2020).

The role of collecting bargaining

Collective bargaining is the session of negotiating between the employers and a group of
employees addressed as a Trade Union. It is exceptionally essential to direct pay rates, working
conditions, benefits just as different parts of laborer's remuneration and rights. Collecting
Bargaining was first dispatched in Bangladesh under the system of the Industrial Relations
Ordinance, 1969. It was governed by the Labor Act 2006.
Collecting bargaining helps any organization to handle the situational conflicts between
employees and employers. Same as it is important for any RMG sectors. Every worker in
Bangladesh has the right to join a labor union of their choosing, according to Bangladesh labor
law 2006 sec 176. As the Bangladesh RMG sector aims to accomplish a $5 billion expo target by
2021, the management team must focus on creating relationships with workers and treating all
workers as partners in their firm. Workers must own this target as much as the owner of the
factory.

Effects on the Labour Management Relationship:

The garments industry (RMG) of Bangladesh has risen to become the country's largest earner of
foreign currency, which is fantastic news for the economy. This industry generates over 4.2
million jobs and contributes significantly to the GDP. Bangladesh's readymade garments (RMG)
industry is driven by youthful, urbanizing workers, the majority of whom are women. As we all
know, the RMG sector took a major knockout as an effect of the covid -19. Meanwhile, to
contain Covid-19’s spread in Bangladesh, the government started closing off the economy
starting 26 March. Export-oriented industries were exempt from lockdown. But without
appropriate guidelines for managing infection risks in factories, the BGMEA and BKMEA
prioritized their workers’ health and safety and began recommending factory closure. According
to our research, 324,684 workers lost their jobs totally as a result of the Covid-19 outbreak. In
this stage of the financial crisis, some small RMG firms will not be able to survive. During our
research, we discovered that over 1,900 RMG factories were shuttered, with all of their
employees laid off. According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters
Association (BGMEA), 59 companies failed to comply between April and October 2019,
resulting in the layoff of 25,900 workers. 80 percent of workers have no savings, and 27 percent
have cut their commodities expenses. To address all of these difficulties, employees will need to
participate in a collective bargaining session to meet the expectations of their coworkers and
reach agreements with management. This collective bargaining session will improve the labor-
management relationship's long-term stability and support. The industry is an important part of
the economy, accounting for 84% of all exports. However, the global pandemic has affected raw
material supplies, causing delays in shipments, cancellations or suspensions of orders, and
factory closures. Furthermore, the devastating impact comes at a time when local manufacturers
were already vulnerable prior to Covid-19. Almost 26,500 garment workers were fired by 87
factories and none of them have received compensation. Although the country's export sector
received a loan of 5,000 cores, none of the workers benefited from this compensation and salary
loan. Employee retrenchment occurs in a variety of organizations without obeying labor laws.
According to one study, 56 percent of workers bought their normal commodities on credit, and
72 percent of workers lack the financial means to receive proper medical treatment. Employees
and workers must request for a collective bargaining session to bring these issues to the attention
of top management in order to protect their rights and preserve a positive relationship with the
management team.
References:
 The Daily Star. Closer to lockdown: Govt Suspends Train, Bus, Launch Services,
Domestic Flights to Check Movement of People Across the Country. 25 March
2020 https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/news/closer-lockdown-1885474(5May 2020,
date last accessed).
 Imran. S, Robin. S. (2020). Readymade Garments of Bangladesh in COVID-19 Times
Challenges and Way Forward. innovision-bd Retrieved From
http://innovision-bd.com/covid-19-impact-studies/digest-7-impact-of-covid-19-on-the-
rmg-sector-and-way-forward/
 https://www.bd.undp.org/content/bangladesh/en/home/stories/2020/covid-19--a-high-
stakes-test-for-the-rmg-sector.html?
utm_source=EN&utm_medium=GSR&utm_content=US_UNDP_PaidSearch_Brand_En
glish&utm_campaign=CENTRAL&c_src=CENTRAL&c_src2=GSR&gclid=Cj0KCQiA
q7COBhC2ARIsANsPATHyVxSiR7R1dtHd9HxOPWR21Rv1w-
eUks_Dbpk40pwO74_2kkJogKIaAoqmEALw_wcB
 Lockdown leaves millions jobless, helpless in Bangladesh https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-
pacific/covid-19-lockdown-leaves-millions-jobless-helpless-in-bangladesh/1798786
