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Female RMG Workers

Experts doubt high job satisfaction rate in survey

Staff Correspondent
A survey revealing that 84 percent of female garment workers are satisfied with their job drew flak from experts discussing the study findings at the report's launching ceremony yesterday.
Some panellists and a female worker doubted the results, saying there might have been some flaws.
The workers, mostly from low education, poor and rural backgrounds, might not have understood the proper meaning of job satisfaction, said eminent economist Prof MM Akash.
At the initiative of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, some Dhaka University teachers conducted the survey titled "Women in Readymade Garment Industries". DU Assistant Professors Zahid Chowdhury and Samina Luthfa jointly presented the findings in the capital's Cirdap auditorium.
The findings are based on the interview of 1,013 female workers from the garment factories, which are owned by BGMEA members and located in and around the capital, between last December and March this year.
According to different estimates, Bangladesh's 5,000 garment factories employ 40 lakh workers, 80 percent of whom are women.
Criticising the report, a worker, Nilufar Yasmin, said there were long working hours, and they faced losing job if they were sick for some days or applied for two or three days leave.
"If production falls, the workers get sacked and are not paid the salary of that month," she said.
The workers' job satisfaction was determined on the basis of some criteria, including safety at workplace, relationship with supervisors, and team spirit, according to the report.
The study also said 39 percent of female workers received less than the minimum wage of Tk 5,300, which was fixed by the government in December last year.
Due to low salaries, around 70 percent of workers cannot afford enough protein in their food intakes and consequently half of them suffer from health problems and take treatment from non-physicians.
Apart from these, they also face accommodation problem, as on average a female worker has to share toilets and bathroom with 22 others.
The research found that eight percent of workers were children, aged below 18.
Female workers are vulnerable to sexual harassment at workplace and on the way from their houses.
Several speakers pointed out that the garment industry has a huge workforce of 40 lakh people, but the BGMEA or the government was yet to conduct a census on them.
Dr Binayak Sen, research director at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), said if the factories become more compliant, job satisfaction would increase.
President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Ayesha Khanam moderated the function, while its general secretary Maleka Banu spoke, among others.