Z A M Khairuzzaman :
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change. Here, temperature remains extremely hot for two to three months due to the adverse impact of the climate crisis.
There are apprehensions that after 20 to 25 years, the excessive heat will prevail for five to seven months. Due to excessively high temperatures, by the year 2030 our total working hours will fall by 2 per cent which can lead to a reduction of productivity by 5 per cent.
Currently, the productivity of Bangladesh falls behind other countries that are competing in the garment industry. Increased temperature is basically an occupational hazard that affects the health and productivity of workers, who keep the wheels of the country’s economy running.
Two thirds of the country’s export income comes from readymade garment (RMG) sector, where over 4 million workers work, most of whom are women.
If the impacts of climate change affects the health and productivity of garment workers, that will cause significant damage to the country’s economy. Safe work environment for RMG workers is a must for the greater interest of the country.
Regrettably, conditions are already unpleasantly hot for workers in non-air-conditioned factories for much of the year and the situation will only worsen in future as a result of global warming. A worker’s natural defence against thermal discomfort and heat stress is to slow down, which can affect wages and productivity.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) estimates that the Bangladesh manufacturing sector currently loses 2.59 per cent working hours due to heat stress/thermal discomfort, rising to 4.96 per cent in 2030 because of climate change.
Meanwhile, a study conducted by the lone labour institute of the country, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), reveals that around 50 per cent of the country’s RMG workforce is affected by climate change. These garment workers face hardship caused by extreme heat, floods, cyclones, and water-logging owing to climate change hurting productivity. This results in a 23 per cent rise in RMG workers’ leave/absence.
A report on the study titled ‘Assessing Exposure and Vulnerabilities of RMG Workers to Climate Change and Environmental Impact and the Role of Trade Unions’ stated this at a national dialogue organised by BILS in cooperation with GIZ, a German-based organisation, at the CIRDAP Auditorium in the capital recently. The survey was conducted on 402 garment workers of 160 factories located in Tongi and Gazipur, the apparel hub near the capital.
BILS Executive Director Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmed chaired the occasion, while representatives from trade union and humanitarian organisations, government and non-government organisations, journalists and different professionals took part in the dialogue.
GIZ’s Dr Michael Klode, also the Project Manager of the Programme for Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector (STILE), dwelt on the project activities at the outset of the dialogue.
Capacity loss, less production, less income, increased commodity price and job insecurity are among the main implications from climate change, reported the Deputy Director of BILS, Md Manirul Islam, who shared the findings at the event.
The report spoke volumes on the climate victims’ journeys mainly from the calamity-prone coastal belts to urban areas in search of a living, and found some scope in the apparel factories in the country’s predominantly largest export industry.
And 95 per cent workers have migrated for poverty, 7.0 per cent for environmental reasons, particularly for riverbank erosion, while one per cent for political reasons, the report added. As per surveyed workers, water pollution has increased by 18 per cent and air pollution by 64 per cent.
The study identified that workers attribute symptoms like headaches, dizziness, fatigue and nausea to heat, particularly during summer months and during the middle of the working day, and that heat was considered an important influence on productivity by workers themselves and others working in or with the sector.
Most of the women workers in the garment industry have come from the populace beneath the poverty line. They have increased earnings, but they still lack health awareness. They neglect their own meals and nutrition.
They suffer from malnutrition. Anaemia, muscle aches, dizziness are common ailments among them. All this is related to increased temperature. Climate change and labour rights are interconnected. When any problem arises, the workers are the first ones to bear the brunt.
The government should immediately include the trade unions (TUs) in the policy-making and policy implementation to deal with climate change hazards to ensure sustainable development, suggested the speakers at the programme.
The government, local government authorities, garment owners, and trade unions must work together to address the impacts of environmental and climate change on the garment industry. There is a need to work at the policy-making level to create social and environmental standards for workers.
The dialogue recommended several measures to address workplace challenges effectively. These include arranging proper heat and humidity control, ensuring adequate ventilation, lighting, and air-cooling facilities, and promoting the judicious use of chemicals.
It emphasised the importance of not disposing of chemicals down the drain and ensuring access to proper healthcare facilities, safe drinking water, and hygienic sanitation facilities for workers. Attention must be paid to heat stress and energy efficiency in the factories.
Consideration must be given to natural ways to reduce temperatures. Architects must be included in the construction of garment factories. Heat is not conducive to women’s bodies. Increased temperatures reduce women’s work capacity and attention must be paid in this regard.
More studies should be conducted to determine as to why the number of women workers are decreasing in the garment sector. Outside of the factories, attention must be paid to the accommodation of the workers too. Long-term measures must be adopted regarding the impact of climate change and global warming.
(The writer is a senior journalist and columnist. E-mail: [email protected])
