“Decent work” in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh. The role for ethical human resource management, trade unions and situated moral agency

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/PR-01-2018-0001
Published date04 February 2019
Date04 February 2019
Pages40-55
AuthorSardana Islam Khan,Timothy Bartram,Jillian Cavanagh,Md Sajjad Hossain,Silvia Akter
Subject MatterHR & organizational behaviour,Global HRM
Decent workin the ready-made
garment sector in Bangladesh
The role for ethical human resource
management, trade unions and situated
moral agency
Sardana Islam Khan
Department of Business Administration, East West University,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Timothy Bartram
School of Management, RMIT, Melbourne, Australia
Jillian Cavanagh
Department of Management Sport and Tourism, La Trobe University,
Melbourne, Australia, and
Md Sajjad Hossain and Silvia Akter
Department of Business Administration, East West University,
Dhaka, Bangladesh
Abstract
Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of 26 business owners, managers and
supervisors on decent work(DW) in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh.
Design/methodology/approach The qualitative study draws on a framework of ethical human resource
management and situated moral agency to establish the ways in which RMG workers are afforded DW. This
study uses semi-structured interviews to assess the prospect of DW through applying the ILOs four-pillar
framework of DW.
Findings Findings indicate there is a concern among owners and managers of the need to reconcile internal
and external pressures to maintain and improve DW. It is evident that ethical practices and moral agency are
not self-initiated but in response to mounting political and legal pressures and those of external stakeholders.
Employers favour the concept of workersparticipation committees as one means to communicate and
negotiate with workers rather than recognise trade unions.
Research limitations/implications The research is limited to six organisations in the RMG sector in
Bangladesh, but there are implications for all RMG sector organisations to promote reform and DW for all workers.
Practical implications DW necessitates major national and international stakeholders to negotiate and
cooperate to ensure the long-term competitiveness and survival of the Bangladeshi RMG sector.
Originality/value The study callsfor reform in a developing countrywhere many workers are deniedDW.
Keywords Qualitative, Work
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to evaluate decent work(DW) in conjunction with the
International Labour Organizations (ILO) Decent Work Country Programme in the
ready-made garment (RMG) sector of Bangladesh. The concept of decent work(DW) was
officially introduced by the ILO (1999) with the goal to pr omote opportunities for women and
men to obtain decent and productive work, in conditions of freedom, equity, security and
human dignity(p. 3). Bangladesh has been listed as one of the 48 least developed countries in
the world (United Nations Committee for Development Policy, 2016) which supports the need
for this study. Earlier research in this journal examined Chinas employment relations and the
need for reform (Zhu and Warner, 2005). The contribution of this study is to highlight changing
Personnel Review
Vol. 48 No. 1, 2019
pp. 40-55
© Emerald PublishingLimited
0048-3486
DOI 10.1108/PR-01-2018-0001
Received 2 January 2018
Revised 1 April 2018
Accepted 4 July 2018
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at:
www.emeraldinsight.com/0048-3486.htm
40
PR
48,1
ER practices and bettersupport the rightsof workers. Workersrightsare important to avoid a
violation of ILO standards (Feng, 2002). According to Hennekam and Bennett (2016a, b), there
should be more studies that drive change across numerous countries where workers are denied
DW standards. The RMG sector is an important contributor of the Bangladeshi economy.
In fact, from 2005, the sector grew at a rate of approximately 25 per cent per year and, by 2011,
had become the second largest garment exporter in the world (Ahmed and Nathan, 2014). In
2011, therewere 4,328 garment factories in Bangladesh employing approximately 4m workers
(Berg et al., 2011). The industry accounts for about 82 per cent of the total export sector in
Bangladesh, which has been reported to be US$28,094.16m (Berg et al., 2011). The Bangladeshi
RMG sector has received adverse attention from the international community in recent years as
a result of dubious business and industrial relati ons (IR) practices. International media reported
the deaths of 117 workers at Tazreen Fashion due to a fire outbreak in 2012 (Ahmed, 2012),
followed by the deaths of 1,134 people in 2013 as a result of the Rana Plaza building collapse
(Hoskins, 2015). Given the abhorrence expressed by major western buyers, international
authorities imposed stringent compliance requirements on Bangladeshi RMG exporters (e.g.
compliance with local health and safety legislation and building regulations). Given the safety
record and pressures to maintain a cost advantage, the Bangladeshi RMG sector has been
under scrutiny of the ILO in relation to DW standards (Burchell et al., 2013). ILO (2016) defines
decent workas the opportunities for productive work with fair income, security in the
workplace and social protection for families, better prospects for personal development and
social integration, freedom for people to express their concerns, organise and participate in the
decisions that affect their lives and equality of opportunity and treatment for all women and
men(p. 1). In September 2015, during the United Nations General Assembly conference, the
four pillars of the Decent Work Agenda, namely, employment creation, social protection,
rights at work and social dialogue, were the focus of the 2030 agenda of sustainable
development (Ghai, 2003). IR scholars would argue that trade u nions should play a critical role
in the achievement of DW standards (Auer, 2006). This was reinforced by the United States
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations (2013) on worker safety and labour rights in the
Bangladeshi garment sector which recommended further protection of freedom of association
and the rights of RMG workers to organise and bargain collectively.
This paper examines DW in the Bangladeshi RMG sector by applying the framework of the
four pillars to management practice in the RMG sector. We focus on owners, managers and
supervisors because they are responsible for the formulation and implementation of DW in their
business, and have been neglected in management and employment relations academic research
(Fields, 2003). Managing the power and influence of international buyers, the government,
workers, trade unions and other stakeholders has become increasingly challenging for RMG
business owners and managers. The following research questions inform the study:
RQ1. How do the four pillars of DW influence and shape management practice in the
RMG sector?
RQ2. How do owners, managers and supervisors exercise ethical human resource
management (HRM) and moral agency to support the prospects of DW in the
Bangladeshi RMG sector?
RQ3. What are the implications for the future of the RMG sector in Bangladesh?
The paper is presented in five sections. First, we present the contemporary context of the
Bangladeshi RMG sector; second, we examine the concept of DW; third, we present the
theoretical framework of the four pillars of DW and methodological approach; and fourth,
we report the findings. Finally, we present our discussion and conclusion which raises
implications for a range of stakeholders in the Bangladeshi RMG sector and provides scope
for future research.
41
Ready-made
garment sector
in Bangladesh

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