Rights of Women Workers in the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Sector of Bangladesh: Law and Practice

Abstract

Violations of the rights of women workers have become the most common .feature of almost all ready-made garment (RMG) industries in Bangladesh. Despite legal framework, women workers' rights are ignored in RMG sector in Bangladesh. ll/orking conditions in RMG sector of Bangladesh is deplorable. Although the garments industty belongs to the formal sector, the recruitment procedure, job insecurity, ircegular wage payment, deprivation of minimum wage, promotion exposure, forced overwork, sexual harassment, excessive working hour, maternity leave, dfficulties to form trade union, health and safee issues are key factors for the violation of women workers' rights in the RMG sector. At present, garment factories virtually become death traps .for the workers in case offire or other accidents. In most cases, the workers do not even get proper compensation for such accidents. Lack of monitoring of the government, cortuption, construction of defective buildings, hazardous working conditions in rented buildings, violation of labour laws and lack of elfective prosecution have put the RMG sector under serious threat. This article presents d view of how women workers in the RMG sector are projected to vulnerabilily. It also seeks to expose the causes of violation of the rights of women workers and finally it concludes with recommendations to overcome the problem.