The production of garments and textiles in Bangladesh: trade unions, international managers and the health and safety of workers
Issue Date
2020-11-16Subjects
health and safetyinternational managers
trade union
HRM practices
garment and textile industry in Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Subject Categories::N120 International Business studies
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This paper offers a view of working practices within the garment and textile (G&T) industry in Bangladesh. The G&T industry accounts for over 84 per cent of Bangladesh exports and is therefore viewed as key to the country’s economic development. This importance is seen in the creation of Export Processing Zones (EPZs), which were created by that state to encourage foreign investment by offering a congenial climate free from cumbersome procedures. Trade unions are outlawed in these areas. Health and safety are poor within the G&T industry. However, the Rana Plaza disaster of 2013, which caused 1,132 deaths and over 2,500 injuries, placed the issue of workplace safety on the international agenda. Arguably, this prompted a change of attitude within Bangladesh and the G&T industry towards health and safety. The presence of international managers appears to have played a significant role in improving health and safety in the working environment, however these international managers do face a range of cultural barriers, which include both language and a different perception of the value of health and safety in the workplace. This paper has adopted a mixed method of both qualitative and quantitative data, collected through interviews and questionnaire surveys within the G&T industry in Bangladesh.Citation
Khan MA, Brymer K, Koch K (2020) 'The production of garments and textiles in Bangladesh: trade unions, international managers and the health and safety of workers', South Asian Journal of Human Resources Management, 7 (2), pp.276-292.Publisher
SAGE Publications LtdAdditional Links
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/2322093720944270Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
2322-0937EISSN
2349-5790ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1177/2322093720944270
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