Formation and Direction of Workers' Collective Action in Bangladesh's Readymade Garment Industry: A Political Process Model Analysis

This qualitative study examines the formation and direction of worker unrest in Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) industry through the lens of McAdam's Political Process Model, investigating how workers mobilize collective action despite systemic constraints. Using data from 25 in‐depth interviews and 9 focus group discussions across six RMG factories in Dhaka, Gazipur, and Narayanganj, we identify mechanisms through which workers achieve cognitive liberation, build organizational capacity, and navigate political opportunities within an oligopolistic industry characterized by extreme power asymmetries. Our findings reveal that oligopolistic industry structures create distinctive barriers to sustained collective action, challenging the traditional application of the Political Process Model. We propose that a fourth element—capacity to sustain participation costs—must be added to the model when analyzing labour movements in developing countries. Workers demonstrate cognitive liberation through lived experiences of dehumanization, verbal abuse, and unsafe working conditions, yet face structural constraints due to employer retaliation, blacklisting practices, and severely limited employment alternatives. Notably, the industry's concentrated ownership structure, coupled with weak government enforcement and workers' profound economic vulnerability, creates participation costs that far exceed those borne by traditional labour movements. This research contributes theoretically to understanding social movements in developing country contexts and provides policy implications for multi‐stakeholder initiatives (Accord, Alliance) seeking to improve labour rights in global supply chains, directly addressing UN Sustainable Development Goal 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).