Search

This research investigates how the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) has affected female employees in Bangladesh's Ready-made Garments (RMG) and textile industries. Using a qualitative methodological approach, data from eight interviews and one unstructured focus group with female employees and industry stakeholders were gathered. Additionally, five key informant interviews were conducted with industry experts. Analysis of these data revealed that female workers in the RMG and textile industries perceive a threat to their employment due to the declining value of their current skills in the market. The study also suggests that transitioning to new jobs or finding alternative employment will be a challenge without adequate training and support from the government and industry authorities to equip these workers with skills relevant to 4IR-based occupations. The study concludes that enhancing these workers' preparedness through reskilling and upskilling initiatives is crucial. Furthermore, the study recommends that the relevant authorities devise and implement comprehensive policies addressing the challenges and opportunities presented by 4IR, especially for female workers in the RMG and textile sectors in Bangladesh. The findings of this study will be beneficial to Governments beyond Bangladesh, policymakers, industry owners, professionals, female workers and other stakeholders in this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bangladesh's Ready-Made Garments contribute significantly to the country's economy and employment. In Bangladesh, spontaneous outbursts are usually caused by Ready-Made Garment workers due to inadequate pay, unpaid wages, and compensation for overtime work. Since these three criteria affect workers' job satisfaction, and some socio-demographic characteristics such as age, education, gender, marital status also influence job satiety, finally, all of these were needed to be studied in a single research study to narrate the impact of pay scale on garment workers, which had not done yet with the aid of nonparametric tests. So this research explored the impact of the 2018 revised minimum wage policy by examining workers' perceptions of wages, including basic pay, overtime compensation, various allowances (housing, medical, food, transportation), and the degree of workers' satisfaction within a group based on demographic traits. 80 responses, according to convenience sampling, were analyzed using descriptive statistics, the Mann-Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests. The results highlighted dissatisfaction with basic pay, late payments, medical, and housing allowances but higher satisfaction with overtime compensation and transportation stipends. The study also found no significant difference in overall satisfaction with the wage structure based on gender or marital status, but it showed that aged, more educated workers are, for some reason, happier. Thus, the findings provide important insights for policymakers and industry stakeholders, shedding light on timely payment with a revised pay scale according to the present circumstances, considering worker needs like medical, housing allowances, etc. and creating an environment to involve women and young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Textile Industry / Tekstilna Industrija is the property of Union of Textile Engineers & Technicians of Serbia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

We analyze matched employee–employer data from Ethiopia's largest special economic zone during a period of downsizing pressure from the COVID-19 world import demand shock. We observe substantial job displacement during the shock peak, particularly for new hires. These largely female and rural-to-urban migrants persistently "fall off the employment ladder", remaining unemployed both within and outside the zone even after employers have recovered from the shock. We observe high levels of urban-centered food insecurity and depression symptoms during the crisis peak, regardless of employment status. Our findings highlight the importance of social protection policies within export-oriented development strategies. • Ethiopia's garment industry contracted dramatically during the COVID-19 pandemic. • We analyze worker employment and well-being during this period of downsizing. • We observe substantial job loss during the shock peak, driven by recent hires. • Displaced workers remain unemployed after shock. • There are high levels of urban-centered food insecurity and depression symptoms [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to analyze the standard size of Muslim women's clothing used by the ready-to-wear industry. This research includes aspects of the type of Muslim clothing, the standard system of sizes used, variations in the size and the level of customer satisfaction with Muslim clothing. The research method uses the mixed method that combines qualitative and quantitative research. The study was conducted in Jakarta by taking samples from the three largest shopping centers in Indonesia, with a total of 70 respondents with accidental sampling techniques. The results of the analysis show that Muslim women's clothing products in some markets use garment sizes. The clothing size is influenced by the form of clothing (design), price, and the type of material. Some Indonesian designers refer to body measurements with modifications according to the design. Muslim fashion women with robe forms dominate the market, especially in Jakarta. The robe or syar'i clothing generally uses the size of the body circumference and the length of the dress as a reference in determining the standard size. The difference in the size based on shapes is obtained 1-2 cm between standards, based on the price, the difference in size reaches 2-4 cm, and differences based on materials between 1-2 cm. The level of satisfaction with Muslim women's clothing based on design/form, consumers stated that they were very satisfied, while for the level of satisfaction with standard sizes, variations in size and price, consumers expressed satisfaction and normality on the packaging aspect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the history of a 'Jewish' second-hand marketplace in Helsinki (1880-1930). This was a niche left for the Jews, who were not awarded civil rights in Finland before 1917. In utilizing a wide range of heterogeneous source material, I argue that the second-hand dealers introduced ready-made clothing to local consumer markets. The restrictions placed upon Jews provide a glimpse into the social status towards such products and trades. The article also highlights the tendency to deliberately undermine entrepreneurial success among Helsinki Jews in order to fit into the narrow social space that was historically designated to them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Bangladeshi readymade garment (RMG) sector is an important feature of the country's economic development, as it is the highest contributor to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in Bangladesh. This industry initiated a revolution in the employment sector particularly through involving women in the workplace, in a culture where employment of women remains rare. While offering new opportunities to women, this sector has failed to ensure a secure and safe working environment for female employees. Consequently, women workers are vulnerable to multiple hazards, frequent disasters, and adverse occupational health outcomes. These vulnerabilities have become a prime concern for national and international communities, particularly highlighted by the devastation of the Rana Plaza factory collapse on 24 April 2013. Within this context, this paper focuses on the existing nature of vulnerabilities produced from the routine work, as is required for women employed in the RMG sector. The study primarily draws on first-hand interviews with women who had direct work-related experiences with the Rana Plaza disaster. The findings suggest that the politicization of the RMG sector, the power of political forces, and factory owner's tendency toward primitive accumulation (theorized as more money through less investment), are primarily responsible for this unprecedented disaster in the garment sector of Bangladesh. At an individual level, Rana Plaza survivors are still reeling from the disaster and in the absence of political will and social support, are deeply vulnerable to further morbidity and mortality related to this workplace disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on a high-profile donor-funded project for financially including Ready-made Garments (RMG) workers in Bangladesh, by first providing financial literacy sessions and second, opening bank accounts for them, through an innovation in banking known as agent banking. The project donors are Swiss Agency for Development Corporation and the MetLife Foundation and is being implemented by Swisscontact South Asia Regional Office (SARO). The paper sheds light on challenges in developing appropriate banking products, facilitating financial literacy, opening bank accounts, and regularizing usage of bank accounts by low-income RMG workers. The paper also outlines recommendations for overcoming the said challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Manufacturer Joseph Love was a key player in the early development and subsequent maturation of the children’s ready-to-wear industry. After World War I, the children’s wear trade flourished, and firms like the eponymous Joseph Love, Inc. grew in size and influence. In this paper, I follow the trajectory of Joseph Love, Inc., a specialist in the volume production of popularly priced girls’ dresses, analyzing the company’s connection to the developing ready-to-wear clothing industry. I explore the ways in which the company utilized advertising and marketing to become an industry leader in American mass-produced children’s wear, with a strong and recognizable brand name by the mid-twentieth century. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Workplace safety is one of the most important issues in industries worldwide, and is endangered by industrial accidents. Different industrial disasters have resulted in several initiatives worldwide to protect human life and reduce material damage, both nationally and internationally. In Bangladesh, the ready-made garment (RMG) industry is one of the most important export-oriented business sectors, which is facing challenges to ensure workplace safety. The Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh is the consequence of such non-compliance. The accident resulted in different local and global initiatives to address the challenges. This article reviews progress and achievement of the initiatives to reduce vulnerability in the Bangladesh RMG industry within 3 years after the deadly accident. In the long run, the challenge is to maintain momentum already created for achieving sustainability in the RMG sector in Bangladesh and maintaining compliance even after the end of support from external partners. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

How can we account for the persistence of underrepresentation of women employees from organizational power and leadership in trade unions in spite of their increasing proportion of the labor force? The fundamental aim of this article is to explore how at more profound level cultures of gender differences are strongly embedded especially in traditional unions and among traditional male leadership in Bangladeshi ready-made garment industries (RMG). The study is qualitative and based on empirical findings from a field study conducted on RMG workers in Bangladesh. Findings of this study demonstrate that although the rate of female participation in the RMG industries has increased over the years, it does not coincide with their rate of trade union participation. To some extents although the number of female unionists have increased in practice these does not result in gender opportunity in formal positions. Empirical evidence reveals that at more profound level cultures of gender discriminatory practices are strongly embedded especially in traditional unions and among traditional male leaderships. However, findings also reveal an increasing evidence of changing attitudes among young female unionists to take the challenges of leadership along with their male counterparts. An optimistic reading of these changes sees the possibilities for increasing inclusion and gender equity within trade unions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries need to reform legislation to ensure the global supply firms in ready-made garment (RMG) industry is adequately addressing obligations of social responsibility. Literature typically focuses on strategies for raising responsible standards in global buying firms within the RMG industry, but fails to focus on implementing strategies for suppliers in developing countries. This article addresses this gap by specifically focusing on the RMG industry in Bangladesh, the home of the third largest RMG supplier in the world. It concentrates on analysing how and to what extent the law can assist in developing social responsibility performance of the RMG manufacturing firms in developing countries. It ultimately concludes that a new governance approach in laws can effectively increase the social responsibility practice standards of an industry where global buying firms are profit-driven and governmental agencies are either inadequate or corrupt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The export-oriented readymade garment (RMG) industry of Bangladesh has flourished quite rapidly, taking the advantage of the considerable supply of local labor. From its very beginning, RMG entrepreneurs have been showing greater interest in recruiting ‘timid’ women to ensure administrative control over the workers. Thus, labor exploitation by providing low and irregular wages has sustained this sector. Shedding light on women’s agency and choice, this article shows that so far the apparently ‘silent’ workers permit the global industry to continue with ‘cheap’ labor, driven by a gendered ideology, structural and material constraints. But women workers are moving forward to ensure wage justice. Assessing the achievements and drawbacks of the wage struggle, our study envisions women’s more effective role in securing wider labor rights in the RMG sector. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Women empowerment mainly emphasizes on participation of women in all aspects of life; economic, social, cultural, political, legal, and psychological. This research examined the impact of ready-made garment industry on women empowerment considering 12 garment companies located in Gazipur district of Bangladesh by applying the feminist theories of economics and liberal feminism. A sample of 360(response rate is 88.33%) women workers has been used for this study. Analysis indicated that the relationship between RMG industry and women empowerment has found to be positive while not all the factors exhibited statistical significance but most of the factors exhibited statistical significance. Current study has also found that women workers of RMG industry are well capable of performing their duties in-line with their male counterparts and have significantly changed their societal status. Current study has depicted that Liberal Feminism is strongly present in the RMG industry of Bangladesh because most of the female workers have achieved affordable healthcare, affordable childcare, reduced sexual harassment, voting right, education, equal pay for equal work, and reduced domestic violence. Therefore, the conclusion is that RMG industry has positive impact on women empowerment. Sexual harassment, job satisfaction, discrimination in wages, satisfactory work environment for women etc. are the most important issues that need to be focused in order to empower women. The prospect is significant and needs to be maintained by the combined actions from individuals, families, societies, an. governments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readymade garment industry plays a vital role in the field of Textile. This research paper, based on a doctoral dissertation is a study of contemporary practices followed by manufacturers of readymade garment industry. The paper highlights different practices and problems like Marketing and Selling faced by manufacturers in Ready-made garment industry in Pune. An attempt is also made to provide suggestions to manufactures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) can play a significant role in economic development of Least Developing Countries (LDCs) like Bangladesh. Due to financial crisis and insufficient of local investment, economic development such LDCs are slack. Though, Bangladesh belongs in LDCs category but the second largest Readymade Garments (RMGs) exporter in the world. The study was conducted interviewing two types of respondents -- foreign investor and government policy maker. The results revealed that Bangladesh has started to receive FDI since 1980 but investment rate is still low compared to demand due to several influencing factors. However, from the last two decades, Bangladesh economy is rapidly raising; hence, GDP growth has reached 6.5; that is dominated by labor cost & productivity, GSP, duty free access, trade agreements facilities, bilateral investment treaty, offshore banking unit, tax, and regulatory policies in RMGs sector. Thereby, Bangladesh government has reformed some incentives for entrepreneurs to attract more FDI now. So, it was attempted to find out which determinants are keeping impact in attracting FDI to develop Bangladesh RMGs industries in this paper and how much effective recent climate to tempt more FDI to fulfill local demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ready-made garment industry plays an important role in Sri Lanka both in terms of export earnings and poverty alleviation through employment generation. Following the removal of GSP Plus by EU in 2010 on the basis of alleged human right violations by the Sri Lankan government during the last stage of the civil war in 2009 and after, it currently faces serious challenges in exporting to the EU, its major market. Given the important role of the ready-made garment industry in poverty alleviation through employment generation, the impact of removal of GSP plus on the poor is examined in this paper. The empirical results of this study demonstrate that poverty and income inequality are expected to be exacerbated in Sri Lanka as a result of the removal of GSP Plus by the EU using non-economic reasons such as human rights violation. The results are also relevant for the renewed emphasis on trade preferences as a potential instrument for the Millennium Development Goals and the debate on how trade preferences are to be designed to maximise their effectiveness in stimulating a manufacturing supply response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The devastating collapse of Rana Plaza in 2013, which cost 1,136 lives, brought Bangladesh in sudden unwanted limelight and posed an ominous question about the sustainability of its Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector. However, as part of the rapid response in the tragic aftermath, 3,632 RMG factories have been inspected as of 2015. Among these, 1,549 factories have been inspected by the National Tripartite Plan of Action (NTPA) undertaken by the Government of Bangladesh with support from the International Labour Organization (ILO). The remaining 2,083 factories have been inspected by the two initiatives representing international brands and retailers viz. the landmark Bangladesh Accord and the Alliance for Bangladesh. This study explores the process and the number of Corrective Action Plans (CAP) and Detailed Engineering Assessments (DEA) conducted by the two international initiatives and the challenges of the remediation. It also takes a look into the Better Work Bangladesh program designed to improve working conditions and promote competitiveness in the global RMG sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Industria Textila is the property of Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare pentru Textile si Pielarie and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article focuses on amended provisions of Labour Act of Bangladesh in wake of the collapse of the poorly constructed factory building of Savar, Bangladesh which emerges the unsafe working conditions in Bangladesh's Ready-Made Garments (RMG) industry. It mentions that the new legislation strengthens the protections for trade unions, accord on fire and building safety as a minimum standard for corporate responsibility and improve health and safety conditions for workers.

Purpose -- The purpose of this paper is to reflect on the effectiveness of labour law in Bangladesh and provide suggestions to improve working conditions in the country. Design/methodology/approach -- The article provides an analysis of the factual impact of labour law in Bangladesh. Findings -- The study reveals the appalling condition in the ready-made garment industry. The factory owners tend to bend the laws and exploit the workers. Originality/value -- The paper offers some suggestions to improve the working conditions of the workers in the garment industry of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Readymade garments are the most important export item from Bangladesh, yet the working conditions and fire safety records in the factories are often not up to the standard. Despite a number of initiatives to curb fire accidents in the garment industry, there are still a significant number of fire occurrences in this industry. Unfortunately, there is no comprehensive statistics on the current status of fire provisions and management practices in the readymade garment factories in Bangladesh. Given the management practices (soft issues) are often as important as structural fire safety measures, yet difficult to regulate, this paper develops a fire risk index (FRI), the first of its kind in Bangladesh, for soft parameters in the garment industry. FRI for 60 random garment factories are developed through surprise inspections to understand the current status of fire risk due to inadequacies in the soft parameters. Results show that the mean FRI is 2.8 on a scale of 5.0, which indicates an alarming condition. Locked exit doors, lack of emergency announcement system and lack of fire drills are the three worst performers among the 24 investigated parameters and require immediate attention from the regulators and stakeholders. We also observed a U-shaped relationship between FRI and factory size. Factories that are members of the industry's trade lobby generally have better fire safety practices than the non-members. Given the importance of the readymade garment sector in many developing countries, poor fire safety record and lack of information on fire safety, our approach of developing an FRI for the industry can be very useful to understand the immediate concerns and thus to curb fatalities and injuries from fire accidents in this sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A boy's suit of fawn wool sold by H. J. & D. Nicoll of London, dated c. 1860, in the Fashion Museum, Bath, raises a number of issues. Combining the long trousers worn by adolescents with a jacket associated with younger boys, it marks a turning point in age-related dress codes. Mass produced but with hand stitching, it presents evidence of the exploitative practices Nicoll had been charged with in Henry Mayhew's Morning Chronicle letters in 1850. The prominent labelling of the suit relates to Nicoll's publicity strategies and to the importance of boys' clothing for ready-to-wear retailers. A comparison of the suit with other surviving garments and with marketing documents illuminates the way that Nicoll positioned itself within the retail market. The rarity of this survival and the scarcity of information on a high-profile and long-lasting retailer make this an important case study for investigating the origins of the ready-to-wear clothing trade in Britain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Can export growth occur in states with weak governance and competitive clientelism? Conventional wisdom is that effective industrial policy requires a politically stable country with a centralized government. Absent these conditions, countries can pursue alternative types of industrial policies. Contexts with stable, or predictable, mis-governance and a government committed to nonintervention can yield strong export performance. We test this hypothesis in Bangladesh by examining the creation of industrial policy in the Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector. This paper highlights how the particular “political settlement” in Bangladesh has created a viable environment in which the RMG sector continues to grow. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]