About Sromobikash

Sramabikash Kendra: Defending Worker’s Rights

Sramabikash Kendra is the trade union and development education wing of UBINIG. In English the name translates into “Centre for Labour Education and Development”. It aims to bridge the gap between research and worker’s initiatives to develop healthy environment in trade union activities of Bangladesh.

Apart from trade union and development education, Sramabikash Kendra plays strong advocacy role with regard to policies that affect the lives of workers. It also plays crucial catalytic role in generating discussions and debates, particularly among the general workers and the trade union leaders on the issues of industrialisation and trade union issues.

Since 1986, UBINIG is active among workers with special attention to women. The emergence of female labours in garment sector has been noticed since 1985 but the major inflow occurred during the decade of eighties and continuing until to day. For a long time women-workers remained unnoticed by the development organisations. The workers were not aware of the legal rights to form unions and improve working conditions. There were particular gaps existed in the works of the trade unions to address the question of female workers. The policy of export oriented industrialisation relaxed factory regulations and labour laws. Therefore, it was necessary to understand the situation of the workers in garment industries, shrimp processing industries and informal sector thoroughly to undertake policy measures for improved working condition and factory management as well as to ensure the right of the workers.

The effects of Structural Adjustment and lending policies of multilateral agencies, especially privatisation, deregulation and de-unionisation of the workers of Bangladesh are the key research concern of Sramabikash Kendra. It also monitors the WTO negotiations, particularly Labour Standard debates and Social Clause issues and informs the workers about the possible consequences of liberalised international trade and agreements.