Working Conditions in Third World Garment Industry: A Report

This report provides a comprehensive overview of working conditions in the garment industry within third-world countries, focusing on Bangladesh, Liberia, and Nepal. It explores the rationale behind the study, highlighting the impact of poverty, economic instability, and lack of human resources on garment workers. The report delves into the existing literature on challenges such as low wages, long working hours, unsafe environments, and lack of worker rights. It outlines the research aims and objectives, which include exploring workers' experiences, identifying threats to their well-being, determining labor laws, and recommending improvements. The methodology employed is qualitative research, utilizing secondary sources to analyze cases and gather information. The report also includes a resource plan, a Gantt chart for time management, and references to relevant books and journals. The report aims to determine the current working conditions in the garment industry within third-world countries and suggest ways to improve the lives of garment workers.

Third world countries-Working
conditions in the garment industry

Table of Contents
Research Title: Third world countries – Working conditions in the garment industry...................1
Research Rationale...........................................................................................................................1
Research Background / Literature...................................................................................................1
Research aims and objectives..........................................................................................................3
Methodology....................................................................................................................................4
Resource required and Action Plan..................................................................................................5
Gantt Chart.......................................................................................................................................5
References........................................................................................................................................8

Research Title: Third world countries – Working conditions in the garment
industry
Research Rationale
In order to determine working conditions in current environment, present research is mainly
done of nations that come under third world countries, because these areas are considered as
having high rates of poverty, instability in economic environment, as well as lack of human
resources as compared to other nations. In this regard, conducting study on respective topic, help
to determine what types of laws have still been made, to improve condition of workers,
especially that deal in garment industry (Alamgir and Alakavuklar, 2018). The reason behind is
complex environment of such industry, where workers are forced to work for more than 14 to 16
hours per day, on minimum wages. This would highly impact on physical and mental health of
labours where if they refused to do work within extra hours, then they directly fired from job.
Along with this, due to increase in poverty, labours within third world nations work within
unsafe working environment with improper ventilation, inhaling fibre dust, breathing toxic
substances and more. This results in increasing accidents, major injuries, fires and more,
including diseases due to work with chemicals in production. Therefore, doing study on this
topic will lead to compare laws of different-different nations, including ways to improve the
same. For this purpose, three main nations of third world countries are chosen, that are
Bangladesh, Liberia and Nepal, where a number of cases of these areas will be explored to reveal
the working condition of garment workers, including interventions taken by government to
improve it.
Research Background / Literature
As per the viewpoint of Wilkinson (2020), garment industries tell about the challenges faced
in global manufacturing. There exists a number of challenges in this industry which include low
wages, flexible or even no contracts as well as poor working conditions for workers. In third
world countries there is a huge workforce in informal garments as well as textile workers. It is
also seen that huge part of workforce is often invisible. It is necessary for garment workers to
organise and make policy gains for themselves.
According to Crinis (2019), it is often seen that workers are asked to work for longer hours when
compared to that of other industries. It has been seen for decades that clothes are made in such
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countries where workers don’t often have any rights their rights are either limited, or inexistence.
It is often seen that wages provided to workers in such countries are half of the living wages
required in those countries. The working hours of companies are from 14 to 16 hours in a seven-
day week. It is often seen in the peek load days they are even required to work until 2 or 3 am.
The reason for them to work so long is that their base wages are so low that they cannot even
refuse working overtime.
As per Dutchak (2018), it can be seen that there exists a number of health and safety issues
in such industry as well. Examples can be seen from a various incident such as the collapse of
Rana Plaza which occurred in 2013 leading to death of 1134 garment workers in Bangladesh.
Many countries have shown zero hygienic environment for garment workers in the companies.
The working conditions in such countries are unacceptable which have questioned the whole
fashion industry. Employees in this industry have to work with no ventilation systems, breathing
in toxic substances from environment, in Hindu a lot of fibre dust as well as blasted sands in the
unsafe infrastructure. It has been seen that accidents, injuries, fires as well as diseases are very
common in this industry on the textile production sites. Other than this workers in this industry
have to face verbal and physical abuses on regular basis. It is also noticed that when workers
feel to meet their daily target or requirements which are usually unattainable dear insulted,
denied for breaks or not even allowed to do with water.
According to Friedmann (2018), there are a number of laws with favours labours who have
been working for garment industry in third world countries. This law is basically including
minimum wages and minimum working hours it has been noticed that just these laws are not
enough for labours there is requirement for much more facilities which they should be provided
with. It can be seen that department of labours have made strict rules about minimum wages and
over time in garment industry. It is important for an apparel contractor to follow all these set of
rules which are mentioned in the fair labour standards act. This also prohibits from employing
the minors under the age of 16 for commercial manufacturing of clothing even at home. China
which have been waiting in garment industry for a long is now derailing its position as increase
in labour demands cannot be fulfilled by manufacturers. Due to this a number of labourers are
moving towards east Africa and Bangladesh where wages are even lower and labour laws are
much easier. The labour department needs to come up with more laws regarding the physical
condition of factories in the garment sector. With working hours focus need to be paid on the
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amount of breaks and the time provided for break to these labours. It is also important for
government to look into these matters as laws regarding this is not yet up to mark
As per Smith (2019), there are a number of ways through which the working conditions of
these workers can be improved if proper initiative is taken by government as well as human right
now. The profit maximising decision of firm is leading to current constraints towards optimal use
of labour regulations. It has been noticed that for Indonesia to prove that they provide good
labour conditions companies have to earn lower profits and provide benefits to employees. It has
been noticed that this deviation from choices of companies have led to be less optimal for both
labourers as well as companies. This shows that any outside regulation for company would not
be good for any firm. Meant which can be brought in this sector is nothing of technology in
garment industry who are which will lead to maintain working condition well as performance of
the firm. Another important factor is keeping in mind work was the section about the working
condition. Leave the workers have so much in this difference it will be easier for phones to fulfil
their needs. Legal limits of working hours must be limited specially for younger I am single
measures. Sub-contracting is not a good way which may lead to increase in working hours as
these informal networks do not follow any pre described set or rules. Subcontracting in this
sector should be prohibited by government. Companies need to focus on shorter hours and higher
productivity. Flexible schedules should be adopted by companies in order to improve its
productivity as well as workers health. When the labour force is healthier it may lead to less coat
invested on labours and also hidden cost related to dissatisfied labours. Companies will have to
spend less in recruiting new labourers and this will also lead to decrease in turnover rate of
existing staff for the company
Research aims and objectives
Aim:
“To determine the current working conditions in garment industry of third world
countries”. A case study on Bangladesh, Liberia and Nepal
Objectives:
 To explore the workers’ experience of garment industry in third world countries.
 To identify the threat of garment working environment on physical and mental well-
being of workers
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 To determine the labour laws that have been made in third world countries for improving
workers’ conditions
 To recommend the ways for improving and enhancing garment workers’ experience in
third world countries
Research question:
 What is the current working condition of employees in garment industry within third
world countries?
 How unsafe working environment of garment industry create threats for its labours?
 What are the interventions taken by government of nations for improving labour
conditions?
 What actions government bodies need to take for protecting garment workers from poses
threats of unsafe working environment?
Methodology
To explore case studies and gather a large number of information, research methodology
provides a number of approaches, tools and techniques, that helps in conducting study on a
specific topic more easily. It includes research approaches that helps in making plan and
procedure using a number of steps, for conducting in-depth analysis. For this purpose,
qualitative, quantitative and mixed approach can be used for collecting information. While
inductive and deductive techniques can be undertaken, for interpreting information. Hereby,
qualitative information is drawn from the wide variety of information, which may be radically
different in scope, but helps in analysing research topic in easy manner (Hoffman, 2019). For
this purpose, interviews, focus group, secondary sources like past written documents that can be
explored from articles, books, newspapers and more, are used for gathering qualitative
information. This would help in making new theories for addressing specific issues under a
research. For analysing qualitative data, inductive analysis method is used, by describing
information on thematic basis. But some factors that shows major drawbacks of collecting
qualitative information, is inaccuracy, less reliability and difficulty to maintain ethics. While, as
comparison, quantitative approach is mainly used to collect numerical information, through
surveys, observations, taking primary research, exploring statistical information and so on. This
type of data collection method, helps in constructing fairly abstract in terms of personal opinion
for obtaining outcomes of a project. Along with this, deductive analysis method is used for
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interpreting quantitative information, that helps in taking perspective of public to resolve present
issue. The only drawback of collecting quantitative information is risk of biasness in data,
because if respondents are chosen on non-random basis then it may decrease the chance of
obtaining un-biased result.
In context with present research, as it is going to conduct on a wide topic i.e. workers’ condition
within garment industry, by undertaking case analysis on three nations, therefore, qualitative
research approach is used for it. Because it creates difficulties to take participation of workers of
all chosen nations, within primary study. Therefore, cases from internet resources that indicates
labours’ experience will be undertaken, with reviews of other researchers. But qualitative
approach includes a number of pitfalls that put question on reliability and accuracy of
information, therefore, to overcome from this issue, data will be collected from authenticate
resources only. This would lead to reduce risk of ethical issue under study also, so that reliability
of result or outcomes can be maintained.
Resource required and Action Plan
The major work in this report requires collecting information from various sources for valid
data which can be trusted. It is done with the help of questionnaire which is used to be fulfilled
by workers in such industry. The basic time estimation for finishing this project is around four
months the detailed description of how this time will be utilised is mentioned in the Gantt chart.
Other resources required will be the cost to reach such labours and time spent to get the survey
finished.
Gantt Chart
Gantt chart is an effective tool for time management which are used by a number of
researchers in managing their time as well as activities when they are working on a report.
Following is the Gantt chart for this report:
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References
Books and Journals:
Friedmann, J., 2018. Life space and economic space: Third world planning in perspective.
Routledge.
Dutchak, O., 2018. Next-door relocation: Labour conditions and bargaining power in the
Ukrainian made-for-brands garment industryThis article is based on a paper prepared
for the 12th Danyliw Research Seminar on Contemporary Ukraine, held at the
University of Ottawa, 16-18 November 2017. https://www. danyliwseminar. com/.
Oksana DutchakNext-door relocation. SEER Journal for Labour and Social Affairs in
Eastern Europe. 20(2). pp.197-212.
Smith, D.O., 2019. Third world cities in global perspective: the political economy of uneven
urbanization. Routledge.
Crinis, V., 2019. Corporate Social Responsibility, Human Rights and Clothing Workers in
Bangladesh and Malaysia. Asian Studies Review. 43(2). pp.295-312.
Wilkinson, B., 2020. Labour and industry in the Asia-Pacific: lessons from the newly-
industrialized countries (Vol. 54). Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.
Alamgir, F. and Alakavuklar, O.N., 2018. Compliance codes and women workers’(Mis)
representation and (Non) recognition in the apparel industry of Bangladesh. Journal of
Business Ethics, pp.1-16.
Hoffman, K., 2019. Driving force: the global restructuring of technology, labor, and investment in
the automobile and components industry. Routledge.
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