Introduction:
Labor-force is an important input in industrial production and this is truer in garment industry of Bangladesh. Mechanization and automation have not diminished the role of human element in industrial establishments. In fact, the role of workforce has become highly critical in garment industry. Nor have the economic reforms belittled the significance of labor.Human resource is taken to be an important factor to increase productivity, improve quality and reduce costs; all necessary to survive in the competitive world. But the basic needs of the labor force must be mitigated. The socio-economic condition of labor force of RMG industry of Bangladesh, in no way, can be said well. As most of them are uneducated and unskilled,they get very poor salary in contrast to ever-increasing expense of livelihood. Very often they do not get their salary, bonus and overtime bills in time. In many factories they are forced to work long hours in unhygienic condition. Maltreatment by the mid-level officers is their common fate. As there is no provision for trade unionism, they don’t have any access to the policy-making process. In such a situation, they come to the street to raise their voice and involve themselves in vandalism and rampage. Despite having a significant achievement in national economy, labor unrest in this sector is diminishing all its credit. In order to survive in the quota-free competitive international market, addressing labor unrest has been a crying need.
The labour unrest in Bangladesh:
Causes of labor unrest are many. First and foremost is the long-standing grievance of the workers. The growth of RMG industry of Bangladesh much depends on hard work of the labor force. But unfortunately they are deprived of minimum facilities. They are to live a sub-standard life in city slums for years. The wage they get is low. Very often they do not get their salary, overtime bills and bonus in time.