Political activity: Trade unions may promote legislation favorable 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 (such as the Labour Party in Britain) for public office. And hundreds of injuries to police and workers exposed the pain of the industrial adjustment process now taking IN November 2009 a very serious event in Bangladesh's economic emergence took place when a labour unrest racked the industrial area spanned by numerous major factories of the apparel sector. The death of several persons place in the apparel sector. Day by day these events continue with factory after factory disturbed by the workers expressing dissatisfaction over the failure of the owners of factories to pay them according to the rules given by the Wage Board. Claims and counter-claims fly, but the truth is many owners are not following the regulations in paying their workers. The owners' claims that there are outside agitators making trouble may in some instances be true; but outside the Export Processing Zones, in the domestic tariff area, there are widespread pay abuses by the factory owners. Furthermore there is no clear evidence made available to the public of the extent to which the factories in the apparel sector are faithfully implementing the wage levels established by the Wage Board. The faithfulness to these wage agreements rises and falls with the profitability of the factory. Over the past year many factories have found their profits being squeezed from reduced orders and lower prices paid by buyers. Some factories have short changed their workers to maintain their profits. Owners believe there is no choice if they are to survive.
On the other hand the record of the labour movement in Bangladesh makes grim reading. Many union organizations have acted in ways that destroy the industry in which their members are employed. Private enterprises resist union being established fearing the labour leaders organization behaving as parasites destroying the enterprise. With a few exceptions only in State Owned Enterprises are there labour unions regularly organized and operating. Most private enterprises have managed to prevent the workers from organising a union, or managed to control the union by corrupting its leaders. Foreign investors have generally allowed labour unions and immediately regretted it. Union organisers and leaders have repeatedly used their position for their own financial advantage and have shown little interest in the day to day work of a union to protect its members from abuse by the owner and management. Unions have fought introduction of IT and have demanded jobs be protected without concern for the financial health of the organisation. In an SOE the union can do this since the Government will always keep the SOE alive. In the private sector the excess demands and interference of the unions destroy the enterprise and the workers lose their jobs. In brief the labour unions have maximised the financial welfare of their officers and failed in their responsibility to the workers.
On the other hand the record of the labour movement in Bangladesh makes grim reading. Many union organizations have acted in ways that destroy the industry in which their members are employed. Private enterprises resist union being established fearing the labour leaders organization behaving as parasites destroying the enterprise. With a few exceptions only in State Owned Enterprises are there labour unions regularly organized and operating. Most private enterprises have managed to prevent the workers from organising a union, or managed to control the union by corrupting its leaders. Foreign investors have generally allowed labour unions and immediately regretted it. Union organisers and leaders have repeatedly used their position for their own financial advantage and have shown little interest in the day to day work of a union to protect its members from abuse by the owner and management. Unions have fought introduction of IT and have demanded jobs be protected without concern for the financial health of the organisation. In an SOE the union can do this since the Government will always keep the SOE alive. In the private sector the excess demands and interference of the unions destroy the enterprise and the workers lose their jobs. In brief the labour unions have maximised the financial welfare of their officers and failed in their responsibility to the workers.
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