Neoliberal Sufferings of Garments Workers in Bangladesh

The paper aims to explore the sufferings of workers involved in garments factories in Bangladesh. It further explores why do garments workers fail to make any strong protest against their exploitation. The paper is based on theories of urban marginality and sufferings developed by Bourdieu and Wacquant (Wacquant 2008, 2009). The study has been conducted in Savar which has recently developed as the new location of clothing poverty. Ethnographic data will be used to document their sufferings in this urban periphery.

Global restructuring leads to the formation of readymade garments industries in Dhaka in recent decades. Huge numbers of rural migrants being displaced from their land make their new homes in the urban peripheries. Female migrants mostly find employments in garments factories which has created new gender anxieties. These female workers are often forced to do extra hours and their targets per hour are gradually increased. But they are unable to protest due to fear of losing their jobs. It is true that due to the Accord and Alliance the environment inside factories has to some extent changed in terms of safety and security. But the relationship between the workers and managers has not changed at all. Rather the managers often make more pressures on them for extra targets to satisfy their owners.                                 

Despite their exploitations the garments workers are unable to make any protest in recent time, due to increasing number of surplus population the workers are facing competition to get jobs. As it is very difficult to get new jobs they often do not think of leaving jobs. In fact, their place of origin has been significantly changed due to rural displacement where they will not be able to return anymore. Prior to moving to the city they mostly involved in agriculture activities. In their rural areas now they have limited opportunities to be involved in the emerging non-agricultural activities. That’s why they often accept their exploitations and miseries in the new place and do not think of returning to their rural home.

The garments workers are found to be integrated into market in different terms. The market does not exclude them for its interest and they become the new urban consumers. Their life style has been also changed and they are getting adjusted to the new consumer culture. While they compare with their lives in the rural areas they become happy despite their sufferings and miseries in the city. They often think that they would be in the more miseries if they leave the jobs and return to their villages. However, they are gradually accepting the sufferings as they immediately do not find any option for change. 

In recent decades the Bangladesh state follows the neoliberal policies and promotes privatization. This creates the new avenues for the capital accumulation for the neo-rich. The owners of the garments have emerged as the neo-rich who make profits through exploiting the vulnerable and entrapped workers. The neoliberal state uses its industrial police for making surveillance so that the garments workers cannot make any protest against the management.

However, the paper argues that the garments workers are more vulnerable than ever while they are penalized by market and state. It further argues that garment workers are unable to make any strong protest due to powerful capitalism and the repressive nature of the state under neoliberal order.             

Wacquant, Loïc (2008) Urban Outcasts: A Comparative Sociology of Advanced Marginality. Cambridge: Polity Press.

Wacquant, Loïc (2009) Punishing the Poor: The Neoliberal Government of Social Insecurity. Durham: Duke University Press.