The phenomenal growth of the garment industry in Bangladesh has been well documented over the last three decades, with experts and analysts saying that the industry now ranks among the largest garment exporters in the world, accounts for 75 percent of the country’s export earnings, and provides abundant job opportunities for females (Mottaleb & Sonobe 67).
Yet, in the past few years, the industry has dominated headline news around the world for involvement in fatal disasters that have claimed the lives of thousands of predominantly female workers (Brown 20). This paper illuminates the factory fire in Bangladesh in November 2012 and the collapse of a garment-making factory in April 2013, and also discusses the role of globalization in these disasters.
Although many disasters that have occurred in the Bangladesh fashion industry are blamed on acts of negligence by management of concerned firms, a government inquiry into the factors that led to the 2012 Dhaka fire in the Tazreen Fashion factory could not rule out “an act of sabotage” by competitors, though no conclusive evidence was provided (Manik & Yardley 6).
Owing to unsafe and crowded working conditions, as well as the actions taken by management once the fire started (e.g., mid-level managers prevented employees from leaving the burning factory), at least 110 mostly female employees lost their lives and over 200 were injured (“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 4).
Barely six months later, on 24 April 2013, another eight-store garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh, collapsed and killed more than 1,000 workers in what government agencies and mainstream commentators termed as the worst industrial disaster in the country’s history (Alam 38). Again, negligence, poor structural facilities and deadly working conditions were the main culprits in an industry worth over $20 billion and which supplies clothing to reputable retailers around the world (Alam 40; Brown 20).
The role of globalization in nurturing and fueling the garment industry disasters in Bangladesh cannot be ignored. It is conceivable that globalization has fuelled the rapid growth of the garment industry in Bangladesh and other Asian countries due to the ready market available for the finished products in the United States (US) and Europe (Knutsen 225).
Owing to the rapid upgrading of the garment industry from export-oriented production of simple budget clothes to exports of branded garments for the middle- and high-end markets in the US and Europe, factory owners in Bangladeshi have taken advantage of the vulnerable female population in the country and provided them with unsafe work conditions and low wages to feed the insatiable appetite of these markets, which are unfortunately led by reputable global retailers such as Wal-Mart, Sears, C&A, and the Edinburg Woolen Mill (Ahmed 41-42; “Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 14; Manik & Yardley 3).
It is important to note that workers in the garment industry receive an extremely low wage of $37 a month and most garment firms do not allow employees to join trade unions, leading to poor working conditions (Manik & Yardley 10).These factors explain why so many workers lost their lives in the two disasters.
Acts of sabotage and arson can only be perpetuated by local competitors desiring to access the lucrative market for finished products in the US and Europe, hence pointing to the role of globalization in these disasters.
Available statistics show that (1) Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories employing more than four million workers, (2) the garment industry is critical to Bangladesh’s economy as a source of employment and foreign currency (Manik & Yardley 3), and (3) the country is the world’s second largest exporter of ready-made clothes, next only to China (“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 15).
It is conceivable that competitors who would want to access this huge global market may attempt to put other firms out of business and start exporting their own clothes to Western destinations.
This assertion is predicated upon the fact that many Western retailers appear to be confused about their supply chain networks (Manik & Yardley 3), while others still insist that they source their fashions from Bangladeshi factories which comply with health and safety standards despite the persistent disasters (“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 15).
The two disasters ignited wide-spread condemnation and street riots not only in Bangladesh but also globally, as people came to terms with the perceived negligence of global brands in ensuring the health and safety of Bangladeshi workers in the garment industry (Manik & Yardley 7). Demonstrators also condemned the government for failing to implement regulations that could provide better protection of workers from such disasters (“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 17).
To conclude, it is unacceptable that many of the global retailers seemed unaware of the fact that some of the clothes to sell came from the Tazreen Fashion factory as this reflects a serious lack of commitment on the part of retailers to monitor their upstream and downstream supply chain activities (Manik & Yardley 3).
Others seem unaware of the poor wages and work conditions that Bangladeshi workers are exposed to in the garment factories (“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire” 15); ostensibly to keep export prices down and hence attract more business opportunities and profits.
This capitalistic approach firmly entrenched in globalization should not be allowed to continue. Overall, global retailers sourcing clothing products from Bangladesh garment industry should initiate steps aimed at monitoring their supply chain partners for such malpractices, and should be held accountable when such disasters occur.
Works Cited
Ahmed, Fauzia Eefan. “The rise of the Bangladesh garment industry: Globalization, women workers, and voice.” NWSA Journal. 16.2 (2004): 34-45. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Alam, Julhas. “Bangladesh Factory Collapse: Death Toll climbs Past 1,000.” Huffington Post 13 May 2013. Web.
“Bangladesh Tazreen Factory Fire was Sabotage – Inquiry.” BBC 17 Dec. 2013. Web.
Brown, Christopher. “Fatal fashion: Analysis of garment industry fires are a call to action.” Professional Safety. 58.5 (2013): 20-20. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Knutsen, Hege M. “Globalization and the garment industry in Sri Lanka. Journal of Contemporary Asia. 33.2 (2003): 225-250. Academic Search Premier. Web.
Manik, Julfikar Ali and Jim Yardley. “Bangladesh finds Gross Negligence in Factory Fire.” New York Times 17 Dec. 2012. Web.
Mottaleb, Khondoker Abdul and Tetsushi Sonobe. “An inquiry into the rapid growth of the garment industry in Bangladesh.” Economic Development & Cultural Change. 60.1 (2011): 67-89. Academic Search Premier. Web.