Study Dissemination: Socio-economic Condition of Home-Based RMG Workers

On 26 February 2025 – Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) organized a national dialogue event and disseminated a study “Assessment on the Socio-economic Condition of Home-Based Ready-Made Garment Workers (HBRMGWs) in the RMG Supply Chain” at the capital Dhaka.

 

The programme is moderated by Mahmudul Hasan Khan, Deputy Director (Programme) at BLF and the study findings is shared by Mir Mohammad Ali, Lead Researcher & Assistant Professor, Department of Aquaculture, Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University, Bangladesh. A H M Shafiquzzaman, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE), attended as Chief Guest, while AKM Nasim, member, Labour Reform Commission and A M Nazimuddin, President, IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, Vanessa Little, Contract Management Coordinator, Oxfam Australia attended the program as Special Guest. The dialogue chaired by A K M Ashraf Uddin of Executive Director of Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF).

 

The home-based workers in the RMG Sector remain largely invisible despite their significant role in supporting export factories. These workers are unorganized and lack bargaining power, often unaware of labour laws, wages, and working conditions, leading them to accept unfair terms. As a result, they endure poor working conditions, long hours, and delayed payments, frequently involving middlemen. Many workers and their families are illiterate or less literate, with little understanding of health, safety, and gender-related issues at work. This vulnerability is compounded by a lack of organizing skills and official recognition. Furthermore, the government has yet to ratify ILO Convention C177. To address these pressing issues, Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF), with the support of Oxfam in Bangladesh and funding by the European Union, conducted a comprehensive study in collaboration with Dream Consultancy Ltd.

 

In the event, the study highlighted the role, challenges, and working conditions of HBRMGWs in the RMG supply chain, highlighting the need for policy interventions and systemic changes. According to BLF, about 15,000 Homebased RMG workers are prevalent in Ashulia, Savar, and Gazipur regions while the county data is unavailable. About 80% of the workers are climate displaced migrants while only 15.5% migrated for family reasons and the rest 7.5% are staying in their native like Gazipur locals. Around 55% of workers engage in seasonal work (5–6 months yearly), while 45% work regularly, with higher rates in Ashulia and Gazipur. The average working hour is 6.89 hours per day, with a maximum of 13 hours and a minimum of 2 hours. About 93.6% are working on piece rate basis, while the average piece rate is 5.25 BDT (ranging from 0.60 BDT to 30 BDT), and the average monthly salary ranges between 4,000–5,000 BDT. Nearly 99% of workers are paid in cash with no bargaining power over wages. In addition, 12 types of work have been identified i.e., Hand Stitching, Tipping, Stone Work, Linking, Mending, Crocheting, Embroidery, Lace Work, Button Work, Stickers, Sequin Work & Cutting Thread. Approximately 93% of workers are women (mostly married, with over 50% being young adults), 80% are climate-displaced migrants, and 98.1% express a willingness to be organized. Here, most HBRMG workers depend on middlemen who take a substantial share of their earnings, further limiting fair wage distribution. Also, their workplace safety remains inadequate, with limited access to protective equipment and first aid facilities and they face limited access to healthcare, relying mostly on pharmacies and government hospitals and most workers operate from home, often involving family members in production.

 

During this dialogue, participants discussed and highlighted the importance of recognizing home-based workers within the formal labour framework and emphasized the need for policy interventions to safeguard their rights and the necessity of ensuring fair wages and improved working conditions for home-based workers in alignment with global labour standards and ratify ILO Convention C177 and finally to encourage them for organizing.

 

In his speech, A H M Shafiquzzaman, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, expressed his gratitude to the Bangladesh Labour Foundation (BLF) for highlighting the critical issue of recognition for HBRMG workers. He acknowledged the vital contribution of these workers and, on behalf of the government, pledged to prioritize their formal recognition. He further emphasized the need for collaborative efforts, calling upon civil society organizations, development partners, and trade unions to support this initiative. He mentioned that the discrimination of wages should be stopped while the Government is based on ‘No Discrimination’ philosophy.

 

Ms. Vanessa, Contract Management, OXFAM Australia, expressed gratitude to BLF for the insightful study and encouraged all participants to support each other in achieving recognition and rights for HBRMG workers, and in improving their benefits.

 

AKM Nasim, member of Labour Reform Commission emphasize on declaration of minimum wage for the homebased RMG workers. He also expressed that firstly need minimum wages ensuring by strongly advocating which will help HBRMG workers to get their rights and minimum wage. This study definitely helps us to know status of HBRMG workers. Now the time for Trade Unions to lobby and advocate their rights.

 

The event was also attended by government representatives, development partners, trade unions, civil society organizations, brand buyers, development practitioners, academia, BLF staff, Oxfam project members, home-based RMG workers, and media representatives.