Signing ILO convention raises factory owners' onus

Following Bangladesh's signing of the International Labour Organization's (ILO) Convention 190, employers now face greater responsibilities to ensure gender sensitivity and prevent workplace harassment, in line with the convention, industry leaders have said.

As the second Asian country to sign it, the Convention will come into force in Bangladesh from early next year, they said, adding that both the formal and informal sectors, including the apparel industry, would require to comply with the convention.

Keeping these in view, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) has already devised guidelines on compliance of the convention. Besides, 100 trainers have been trained to promote workplace awareness, said Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, Executive President of BKMEA.

"We are planning to share the guidelines with the government, considering Bangladesh's socio-economic context," he said.

Mr. Ehsan made these remarks at a seminar titled "Advancing Gender-Sensitive Workplaces: Implementation of Comprehensive Learning and Monitoring Resource Pack," held in the city on Thursday.

Meanwhile, talking to the FE over phone after the seminar, the BKMEA President Mohammad Hatem explained that the association started preparing for this change nearly four years ago.

"We noticed that many international guidelines that are mandatory for factory owners are not always relevant to our socio-economic culture," Hatem said.

At the seminar, factory owners observed that with the ratification of ILO Convention 190, their responsibilities have increased, especially in the global supply chain. They also pointed out that challenges in other sectors could indirectly impact the garment industry.

"If other sectors face allegations of gender-based violence and the government fails to act accordingly, the issue could be taken to the ILO, affecting the garment industry," a factory owner stated.

Mr. Ehsan also explained that the convention holds factory owners accountable for incidents occurring during workers' commutes, even though they are not directly responsible.

"If workers face any harassment or violence while commuting, factory owners may still be penalised under the convention," he said.

He also raised concerns about possible potential misuse of the convention by foreign countries.

"Why haven't countries like Japan, Korea, Malaysia, and India signed this convention? This is something we should have considered more carefully," he said.

The discussion brought together stakeholders from Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) industry to discuss gender-sensitive workplaces.

The event was organized under the STITCH-BKMEA collaboration, a project led by the Fair Wear Foundation, Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), and Mondiaal FNV.

As part of the initiative, a 'learning and monitoring resource pack' on preventing gender-based violence (GBV) was co-developed and implemented in 50 garment factories across the country.

Factory representatives shared their experiences on how the pilot program helped reduce gender-based violence in their workplaces and advocated for its nationwide implementation.

The BKMEA announced its plans to submit its program to the government for implementation in 800 member factories and beyond.

Under the program, workers are given training on gender-based violence, especially how to lodge complaints, and where to seek help if their issues are not addressed.

Anika, a representative from Metro Knitting and Dyeing, said, once there was discrimination in factories and workers were hesitant to raise complaints due to fear of losing their jobs.

But after the training, their confidence has improved, and the level of discrimination decreased.

Mr. Bablur Rahman, Country Manager of Fair Wear, said such activities will continue. He further said such guidelines could serve as a 'toolkit' for creating a national guideline.

Babul Akhter, General Secretary of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, emphasised that harassment committees in factories need to be democratically elected in order to make them effective.

Minhazul Hoque, Director of BKMEA, Munir Uddin Shamim, Director of ETI Bangladesh, and Sheikh Shuchita Jahan Sneha, Representative of BGMEA, also spoke at the event.

newsmanjasi@gmail.com