TRADE UNIONS IN BANGLADESH AND ITS

IMPACT

Submitted By:

Md. Omar Faruq Chowdhury

-045 12601

Submission Date: 28th November 2012

Contents
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

Definition
Causes of organizing trade unions
Objectives
History of Trade Unions
Limitations
Positive impacts
Negative impacts:
Present Scenario
Suggestions
Conclusion

Definition

-Trade Union is an organization of workers who have banded together to achieve

common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, achieving higher pay,
increasing the number of employees an employer hires, and better working
conditions.
-An organized association of workers in a trade, group of trades, or profession,
formed to protect and further their rights and interests.
-A group of employees in a particular sector, whose aim is to negotiate with
employees over pay, job security, working hours, etc. using the collective power of
the members.
-The most common purpose of these associations or unions is "maintaining or
improving the conditions of their employment".

Causes of organizing trade unions

Provision of benefits to members: professional training, legal advice and representation for members is still an
important benefit of trade union membership.

Industrial action: Trade unions may enforce strikes or resistance to lockouts in furtherance of particular goals.

Political activity: Trade unions may promote legislation favourable to the interests of their members or workers
as a whole. To this end they may pursue campaigns, undertake lobbying, or financially support individual
candidates or parties.

Conditions of employment and any grievances are settled through trade unions.

Bargaining rights: Trade unions bargain and ensure the status, rights, wages and demands of workers of the
modern world of industry.

Contribution in economical growth: Trade unions are growing rapidly in an economy because of the expansion
of business and economical growth.

Objectives
Trade unions are the only way to manage, compliant, and control the labor force. Lots of objectives
are there to organize trade unions.
1. To defend or improve the wages and working conditions of workers and to bring about a change in
the economic order.
2. To strengthen their (labor) bargaining power collectively to establish and achieve all their rights.
3. To dully protect all other interest of the workers .And from the managements point of view the
objectives as written:
a. To reduce the number of negotiation.
b. To specify work rules, disagreements and grievances to give the better solution to workers claim.
c. To establish the efficient communication between the employers and management to enforce the
predictable standards.
d. To enhance the overall organizational effectiveness workers can also be sometimes inspired to
form and organize trade union. In fact, objectives of a trade union are not defined; rather these
are changing according to the need of the economy and overall industry. When these objectives
are not settled then the rivals are started.

History of Trade Unions

-The British rulers introduced Trade Union Act, 1926. The main purpose of the Act was to
provide registration for trade unions and in certain respects. But the Act did not contain any
provision regarding strikes.

-In 1929, the Trade Disputes Act put restrictions on strikes in public utility services and laid
provision for the establishment of tribunals to adjudicate upon the labor disputes.

-In 1947, the Industrial Disputes Act placed the conciliation and adjudication machinery for
the settlement of industrial disputes on a permanent footing.

History of Trade Unions

The Pakistan Period (1947-71)

-The East Pakistan Trade Unions Act, 1965 was enacted repealing the Trade Unions Act, 1926.
-The Labor Disputes Act, 1965 was enacted.
-Industrial Relations Ordinance, 1969 was enacted integrating the above two Acts.
Bangladesh Period (1971-onwards)
-Government of Bangladesh declared a labor policy in 1972. The right to strike and collective bargaining in
the nationalized industries was prohibited for six months by Presidential order no. 55 in May 1972.
-In 1973, the right to strike and lockout, as granted by IRO, 1969 was withdrawn.
-In 1974 Act completely suspended the democratic rights of workers by prohibiting trade union activities
such as strikes, lock-outs, collective bargaining.
-The military regime of 1975 imposed restrictions on the rights of collective bargaining.
-The Industrial Relations (Amendment) Ordinance, 1977 liberalized the Rights of Freedom of Association
-The Labor Policy of 1980 restored the right to freedom of association to a considerable extent
-In 1982 the military regime banned trade union activities, strikes, and right of freedom of association.

History of Trade Unions

-Full trade union activities were restored by the democratic government in 1991.
-In 2006, an updated, consolidated and unified version of labor laws was enacted.
-During the Emergency in 2007-2008 that lasted for 23 months, trade unions and collective
bargaining were prohibited and the determination of collective bargaining agent could not be
made.
-However, full trade union activities were restored by the democratic government in 2009.

Limitations
In Bangladesh Trade Unions have a lot of unavoidable problems:

1. Lack of consciousness: Trade union are not actually completely aware about employees legal rights
and duties.

2. Lack of Unity: In Bangladesh trade unions are separated for political influence.

3. Lack of knowledge: The workers of Bangladesh dont have enough knowledge about their rights and
duties.

4. Political influence: In Bangladesh, trade unions work a part of political parties not as a free right saving
association.

5. Division of trade union: Bangladesh is a country where every organization has more trade unions in
name only. The overall productivity got down.

Positive impacts

Trade union plays a major role in creating ideal working conditions.

Trade union always helps management to create better policies for workers.

Trade unions negotiate for the standard wage and benefits with the management.

Trade union helps the management to increases the productivity as well as the profit.

Political influences existence makes the trade union not to interfere in management decisions.

Trade union is hugely helping the management to produce more and implementing management
tactics.

Negative impacts

Trade Unions are creating a surplus of manpower but not of productivity.

Trade union of Bangladesh bargains more than they understand because of the limitations of their
knowledge. If dont consult then they strike.

Trade Unions have equal power of management then clashes are started.

In companies labors are awarded for good work and threatened for bad work. But if its punished then
trade union interfere and dont let to happen the punishment. So it increases crime of the labors.

Trade union leaders always try to save their interest first then the labor.

For the power of politics trade union always dishonor the management.

Present Scenario
Categories

Total number of
unions/federations

Number of unions
included

Number of members

National federation

32

1264

1,263,66

Industrial
federation

108

721

640,221

Garments
federation

15

80

50,14

5,242

2,069,61

Basic union

Suggestions

Strengthening bilateral collective bargaining for solving problems quickly and effectively.

Multiplicity of trade union creates the rivals in a union. So it must be reduced.

Political involvement must be reduced.

Organization must support financially as trade unions support the worker.

Training programs under trade union should be helpful to develop the skills of the workers.

Trade unions function should be increased and widened throughout the organization.

Union leader must be given importance and encourage the members.

If trust between workers and management increases, productivity increases.

Management must help and guide trade unions to settle industrial clashes and crisis.

Trade unions always should demand reasonable thing to the management.

Conclusion
-The industrial relation system is pre-dominantly confrontational in nature rather than cooperative in Bangladesh.

-Although in recent times the rate of unionization has increased in the RMG sector, trade union affiliation is low in
Bangladesh compared to many other developing countries.

-The promotion of independent trade unions and collective bargaining can contribute to political and social stability and
consequently create more favorable climate for foreign investment.

-Trade unions have an important role to play in settling disputes between workers and management over wages by way
of collective bargaining.

-All the developing countries trade unions were influenced politically, but they used politics to create a better solution.

-Bangladesh should also start practicing like Japanese trade union which has a single union for single enterprise. There
is no conflict, no unfair means and no strikes in productivity and the growth of the overall economy.

Q&A

Thanks to All