Workers Resource Centre (WRC) launched Wednesday aiming to build the capacity of trade unions in the country’s readymade garment (RMG) sector.
The joint platform between two leading worker organisations – the National Coordination Committee on Workers Education (NCCWE) and the Industriall Bangladesh Council (IBC) is expected to help trade unions operate more effectively and provide better services to their members.
“The WRC should lead to a more effective union movement by fostering a culture of consultation, capacity building and information sharing,” information minister Hasanul Haq Inu said while addressing the launching ceremony held in the city.
To ensure good governance in the RMG sector, dialogue and cooperation are critical, he said expressing hope that this process could go beyond the RMG industry and benefit workers in other sectors.
The initiative is supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO)’s Social Dialogue and Harmonious Industrial Relations project funded by Sweden and Denmark.
The WRC will provide various services including advocacy, awareness raising and training on workers’ rights, dispute resolution, grievance handling, negotiation, collective bargaining as well as occupational safety and health. It will also promote the active participation of women in trade unions.
