To strengthen social dialogue in factories, Better Work Bangladesh provides technical assistance on the organisation of worker-management committee elections. It is a top priority for the programme to work with workers and management to transparently elect and strengthen these committees within factories. Better Work also works with trade unions to strengthen dialogue between employers and trade union representatives.
From the start of the programme until the end of 2019, we facilitated the formation of 171 worker-management committees, of which 66 were established in 2019. As per the Bangladesh Labour Act, factories employing 50 or more workers must form a committee with an equal balance of worker and employer representatives. During assessments, we check the existence and formation of these committees, that they are functioning appropriately by reviewing their election and nomination processes, the elections themselves, and the roles and responsibilities of leaders and members. If any of these processes do not conform to requirements, the factory is non-compliant.
Better Work Bangladesh conducted a series of training sessions and seminars at the SQ Celsius Ltd. which boosted worker-management relations.
“Since the launch of Better Work in our factory, workers have started to engage more in open discussions with management. I’ve seen a transformation in the worker-management relationships over the past four years. This helped narrow the communication gap within the factory. It also helped us communicate our demands more clearly.” Ayesha Akhter Nazma, a trimming operator who has been working in SQ Celsius Ltd. for the past nine years.