An Analysis of Working Conditions in the Garment Industry: Third World

This research project investigates the working conditions within the garment industry of third world countries, focusing on nations such as Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal. The research begins with an overview of the industry's economic importance, particularly in generating export revenue, while highlighting the exploitation of cheap labor. The project aims to determine current working conditions, assess the impact on workers' physical and mental well-being, and analyze existing labor laws. The objectives include exploring workers' experiences, identifying workplace threats, determining governmental interventions, and recommending improvements. The methodology will involve qualitative, quantitative, and mixed approaches to gather data, including case studies. The research questions address current working conditions, workplace safety, government interventions, and necessary actions for worker protection. References are provided to support the research findings.

Research Project

Table of content
• Research Topic
• Rationale for research
• Background of research
• Research Aim and objectives
• Research questions
• Methodologies
• References

Research Topic
“Third world countries – Working conditions in the garment industry.

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.
Rationale for research

Background of research
The fashion or garment industry today represents as one of the successful industries,
which have provided employment to millions of people across the world. It has
increased the trade activities at global level, that helps countries in capitalising the
income and generating high currencies for improving their economy. Finding the
cheapest labours in poor nations or less-developed countries like Taiwan, Vietnam
and more, give advantages to foreign companies to exploit them for increasing
their production activities.

Continue..
In Bangladesh, more than 3.5 million labours (over 85% are women) worked in near about
4,825 garment factories, to produce goods in global market, especially over areas of
Europe and North America. From statistical point of view, it has been estimated that
garment industry of Bangladesh is generated 80% of total export revenue of this country.
However, only few percent of this generated wealth spent on improving working
condition of labours. The majority of these Bangladeshi workers earn little more than
minimum wage, which is set as 3,000 taka per month (approx.. £25).

Research Aim and Objective
Aim:
“To determine the current working conditions in garment industry of third world countries”. A case study on
Bangladesh, Bhutan 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
• 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 questions
 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?

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.
Methodologies

References
 Alamgir, F. and Banerjee, S. B., 2019. Contested compliance regimes in global
production networks: Insights from the Bangladesh garment industry. Human
Relations, 72(2), pp.272-297.
 Xiao, Y. and et. al., 2018. The corruption footprints of nations. Journal of
Industrial Ecology, 22(1), pp.68-78.
 Smith, D. O., 2019. Third world cities in global perspective: the political
economy of uneven urbanization. Routledge.

Thank You