Evaluation finds TUC Aid programme with NGWF garment unionists in Bangladesh built activism and confidence

In May, the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) completed the set of training courses run for the TUC Aid programme to promote women’s leadership in Bangladesh.   To gauge the effectiveness of the programme, an evaluation was conducted into the programme by the Danish union federation 3F which has offices in Bangladesh. 

Key findings of the evaluation were:

• Twelve one-day training sessions about the labour law and trade union rights were run for new female members of NGWF unions, training a total of 354 women on labour law and trade union rights;

• Six three-day training sessions on collective bargaining in a union were run for female union organisers from NGWF unions, training a total of 163 female organisers on collective bargaining and organising;

• participants in training now have a better knowledge of employment rights and play a more active role in their union;

• 20 women that took part in the training have been elected to the leadership of the local unions (as President, General Secretary, Women Secretary, Sport & Culture Secretary.) One union leader said: “The training gave us a lot of courage to fight for our rights”;

• in one factory where members had been trained women leaders have now won significant improvements in terms of maternity benefits and 18 days of leave payments; and

• in 3 factories unions are now bargaining on maternity leave/benefits and gender wage gaps – and being supported by their male union colleagues.

The evaluation made the following recommendations:

• further training sessions would be beneficial to women union members of NGWF;

• future training sessions should be more targeted, training a smaller group of workers who are already playing leadership roles at the factory level but need to develop their skills and confidence as union negotiators;

• future training sessions should be held on a Friday when women are off work so it is easier for them to attend; and

• future training sessions should consider alternatives to written material so that illiterate women can participate.

TUC Aid will now assess how to take forward these recommendations in our future work in Bangladesh.