In one of Dhaka’s largest garment factories, a young woman swiftly sewed a piece of grey fabric and passed it down the production line. She impatiently awaited the next piece, willing her colleague to work faster.
Above her sewing machine, a screen emitted a red warning—she had completed only seven pieces so far, against a daily target of 101. The screen’s colour would shift to orange as she progressed and turn green if she met her target. Failure to maintain pace consistently could result in dismissal.
* Automation in garment factories is leading to job cuts, especially for women.
* Smart surveillance devices monitor workers as factories struggle to compete globally.
* Brands are “pleased” by smart factories that produce efficiently and quickly.
The device monitoring her progress is called “Nidle” (short for “No Idle”), an internet-connected tool designed to track productivity. It records the number of pieces a worker sews per hour and measures idle time.
Nidle is among a growing range of smart manufacturing technologies introduced in Bangladesh’s leading garment factories. These include fully robotic and semi-automated machines requiring human supervision.
The factories supply global brands such as H&M and Zara, which depend on rapid garment production to meet fast fashion demands.
Automation to Offset Rising Wages
The integration of automation aims to address a critical issue in Bangladesh’s garment industry: increasing wages in a country historically known for its low-cost labour.
“As per capita income rises in Bangladesh, workers are demanding higher wages,” said Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Research Director at the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Dhaka. “This has created a trend towards automation, at least to some extent, to replace human labour.”
Factory owners and industry representatives argue that smart technology has improved productivity, wages, and Bangladesh’s competitiveness on the global stage. Abdulla Hil Rakib, Managing Director of Team Group— a conglomerate supplying brands such as H&M and Guess—reported that production increased by up to 10% following the installation of Nidle and semi-automated machinery.
“The automated system helps us identify bottlenecks, enabling us to achieve better production using the same workforce,” Rakib stated. “As production increases, we can afford to pay better salaries.”
Automation at the Expense of Jobs
However, workers, union leaders, and academics assert that wage increases have been driven by protests rather than automation. They also warn that automation has resulted in job losses, particularly among women. The proportion of female workers in the garment industry fell from 85% in 1991 to just 57% in 2023, according to union leaders.
“The imbalance between machine speed and human capacity forces many women out of work,” said Babul Akhter, Secretary-General of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation.
Bangladesh’s garment sector, which employs approximately three million workers, remains a crucial pillar of the national economy. It accounted for 77% of the country’s $50 billion in exports in 2023, largely supplying the $1.7 trillion fast-fashion industry. However, with increasing competition from countries like Vietnam and Cambodia, many top factories in Bangladesh are accelerating automation. A 2023 survey by industrial edtech company Shimmy Technologies found that 80% of 20 surveyed Dhaka-based factories planned to acquire semi-automated machinery within two years.
“If we don’t embrace automation, competitors will dominate the market,” said Ayaz Aziz, General Manager at Shimmy Technologies.
Each new machine could replace between one and six workers. The largest factories surveyed anticipated reducing their workforce by 22%, and job cuts are already underway, according to workers and factory operators.
Pressure and Mental Strain on Workers
The adoption of automation comes as garment workers in Dhaka protest against low wages and poor working conditions. The country’s political crisis in 2023 led to the closure of 92 factories, as reported by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
At 4A Yarn Dyeing Ltd., a factory on the outskirts of Dhaka, automation has already resulted in downsized manufacturing lines. “We have reduced the number of machines per line from 58 to 48 with automation,” said Mahmudur Rahman, a manager at the factory. Some workers now operate up to three machines simultaneously.
Nidle devices installed in the factory track productivity and efficiency, ensuring that supervisors can identify slow workers. One 35-year-old female worker, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said her production target increased by 75% after Nidle was introduced in 2022.
“The floor manager no longer shouts at us, but the pressure remains high because the data constantly shows whether we’re meeting targets,” she said. “It feels like we are simmering on a stove.”
Despite her increased workload, she only saw a pay rise in November 2023 when the government raised the minimum wage for garment workers from 8,000 taka ($66) to 12,500 taka ($104). Unions continue to demand a wage increase to 23,000 taka ($190) per month.
Another worker, a 24-year-old mother, described the financial hardships she faces despite working long hours. She often skips meals to maintain her productivity, even though she suffers from gastritis.
“Even when I am starving, I avoid eating so I can meet my target,” she said. “After a week of skipping meals, my illness flared up, and I was sent home without pay.”
She typically works from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., followed by overtime until 8 p.m., which constitutes 28% of her monthly earnings of 16,000 taka ($131). Despite this, she struggles to find time to learn how to operate automated machines, unlike her male counterparts, who receive training during weekends or in their free time.
The Push Towards Smart Factories
Major international brands favour smart factories, according to Kazi Ehtesham Shahid, Deputy General Manager of IT at Urmi Group, which supplies H&M, Uniqlo, and Marks & Spencer. Urmi’s factories have adopted semi-automated machines and smart devices, which have improved efficiency and reduced labour costs.
“The rates provided by buyers are not sufficient, so we have to manage within these limits,” Shahid explained. “To achieve this, we must increase productivity while reducing manpower, making automation essential”
Government officials maintain that automation can boost workers’ earnings. “It is incorrect to claim that automation increases workloads,” said Anwar Hossain, an administrator at the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. “As automated factories attract more orders, workers will have more opportunities to earn”
However, Kalpona Akter, President of the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity, argued that automation has yet to benefit workers.
“We support technological advancements, but they must be worker-friendly rather than exploitative,” Akter stated. “Brands and factories that allow exploitative automation must be held accountable for their business models.”
Courtesy: Rest of World
