Scholarly Revisit the Role of Worker Participation Committee: Evidence from the Ready-Made Garment Industry of Bangladesh

Abstract

Purpose– The prime objective of this article is to revisit the role of Workers Participation Committee (WPC) and discover how and where WPC has been playing an active role in the Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Industry in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach– This study has extensively reviewed the journal articles, documents prepared by international organizations and thesis works of researchers that have been published in the reputed journals and online sources. Findings– This study finds that WPC has active roles to play in the issues related to labor standards and the issues related to labor rights. Moreover, WPC has the ability to establish mutual trust and harmonious relationship between the workers and employers by resolving industrial dispute. Research limitations- This is a conceptual paper which suffers to observe the reality from the ground. This study will invoke many scholars to conduct empirical studies in the future to evaluate the reality of the functions that WPC can play independently at the organizational level in Bangladesh. Practical implications– This study contributes significantly to the existing literature of WPC, especially in the RMG industry. This study also has implication as the future reference to conduct empirical assessment in terms of WPC’s roles and legislative reformation. Originality/value– As far as originality is concerned, very few research effort has been made before to revisit the role of WPC in the RMG industry in Bangladesh.