Film on Bangladesh's Garment Workers Spotlights Women Driving Change. She told Human Rights Watch: “I was so surprised to see my name in the case. Please give now to support our work, Unions Claim at Least 7,500 Dismissed Arbitrarily From Work, Others Targeted in Violent Police Raid, Share this via Facebook Garment workers in Bangladesh endure harsh conditions and the world’s lowest minimum wage. Industrial unrest close to Christmas was particularly provocative, raising fears among factory owners that lucrative contracts with western brands such Gap, Zara and H&M could go unfilled. Other union organizers described being harassed without the use of threats and violence. A new international agreement protecting workers there takes effect next Wednesday. Disabilities Act and more. But when workers tried to return to work, they were met with mass dismissals and arrests. accusations against key labor leaders for allegedly instigating violence. Workers at one large factory told Human Rights Watch that they were trying to form their union without the managers finding out, because they were afraid of retaliation and losing their jobs. A woman who has been working in the garment sector for the last four years was named in one of the criminal cases. Meanwhile, bosses at the company - who supply Primark and New Look - are arrested on embezzlement charges in the country's largest ever corruption case. Soon everyone was asked to leave. Share this via Twitter Wal-Mart is known for both paying low wages and forcing down wages across She agreed to resign. Elsewhere a manager said that a female union organizer was “polluting” his factory and should go and work in a brothel. But others see the protests as signs of deeper trouble. “They are in big trouble. The labour leaders who accepted the recent minimum wage deal have quickly begun to show their true colours; police began to attack students, they rebelled and blocked streets. The workers also said Sayeed has been missing since Monday's incident. planning a Global Wave of Action for Education with protests set to take place Workers arrived at their factories to find notices posted on the gates with their photograph, name, unit, personal details, and the notification that they were suspended for their involvement in vandalism of the factory. The workers claimed that some managers intimidate and mistreat employees involved in setting up unions, including threatening to kill them. Fashion brands sign new deal on Bangladesh garment workers' safety ... The police team stepped in after the attackers left the factory at around 6:00pm. [...] Union leaders estimate that over 1,700 of the suspended workers are currently blacklisted from working at other factories. We started to organize the union in July. “We are extremely encouraged by this new agreement, which preserves key obligations from the original accord and which will hopefully ensure credibility and accountability at a critical time for the Bangladeshi garment industry,” said Christy Hoffman, general secretary of UNI Global union, a Swiss-based federation of unions across 150 countries and a signatory of the agreements. 'Made in Bangladesh' premiered in the United States on Dec. 6 and Akter, who is played by actor Rikita Shimu, said she hopes the film will encourage garment workers to speak up when it screens in Bangladesh next year. Its 2009 revenue was $405 billion. Miedema said brands should factor in the costs related to the injury insurance scheme in the sales price of their garments, and that the pilot should turn into a permanent system enshrined in the country’s labour laws. His wife works at a garment factory nearby, and together the couple support four children and Kabir’s mother on 14,000 taka a month. It was in this country in 2013 that the Rana Plaza factory collapse killed more than 1,100 garment workers, and activists have been fighting for years to ensure this kind of man-made disaster never happens again. After the Rana Plaza disaster, coming on the heels of the fire at the Tazreen Fashions factory in November 2012 in which at least 118 workers died, both the US and the EU called on the Bangladeshi government and garments industry to improve labor rights. I have filed a case with the police and the union is now demanding that the factory sack the general manager and the production manager. Share this via LinkedIn Ensure workers’ rights to form unions and increase factory inspections. A small cement sculpture depicting a clenched fist holding a hammer and sickle commemorates the victims of the disaster. Global garment retailers, unions and factory owners negotiated a successor to the landmark fire and safety agreement. After I submitted the registration form, some local gangsters came to my house and threatened me. Like other garment unions, it's barred by employers from functioning as a workplace representative of labour, so doesn't function as Western unions do. The EU will conduct a review in the summer of 2014. Study with Quizlet and memorize flashcards containing terms like garment, To yell, disaster and more. Human Rights Watch is aware of 29 criminal cases naming 551 workers and at least 3,000 unnamed accused in relation to the strikes. A new agreement intended to protect workers in the Bangladeshi garment industry was unveiled on Wednesday, after months of deadlock between international fashion retailers and trade unions and local factory owners. Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808. The International Labour Organization (ILO) considers sanctions for participating in strikes acceptable only when national law itself is consistent with international standards on freedom of association. It was registered in June 2013. Share this via Telegram Wal-Mart is the Does this involve the National Garment Workers Federation of Bagladesh? tuition increases. (Taslima Akhter), I’ve been using Zoom and Facebook Live to stay in touch with garment worker leaders during the pandemic. Activist and former garment worker Shama, center with hat, was forced to get an emergency heart valve replacement during the pandemic. The stupid claim that workers aren't involved is a lie, as proved by numerous daily media and police reports of worker unrest and arrests; Emerging from a tripartite meeting, held at Bangladesh Garments Manufacturing and Exporters’ Association building late in the evening, National Garments Workers’ Federation convenor Amirul Huq Amin said they did not differ with the new wage structure. countries. The labor ministry had previously refused to register all but a handful of unions, but the amendments have made it easier for unions to be formed. I showed up with friends to support him and his family—that’s me second from right in the PPE. Please try again. When contacted, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station Mahbubur Rahman said that SI Bari informed him of the incident after 6:00pm. It’s up to the government, the factory owners, but above all the international brands that profit off these workers to ensure that they can survive this crisis and can depend on a safe and dignified working environment once the crisis passes. She told Human Rights Watch: “The police were raiding house to house and when they were heading toward our house, I heard them firing. The general manager told us not to set up the union; he said they would give us permission to set one up later. “But they have all the problems when workers ask for a pay rise.”. The Thomson Reuters Foundation is the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters. Human Rights Watch interviewed eight people who were present during those raids, including four who were shot and injured by rubber bullets. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/25/business/garment-worker-safety-accord.html. One of the landlords in the neighborhood told Human Rights Watch: I have rented 12 rooms here to garment workers. “It is now time for those in the Bangladeshi garment industry to wake up and realize that they are endangering their business if they do not comply with what the US, the EU, and their own government are demanding,” Adams said. the recent arrests “were part of a strategy by the government of A company director has been arrested within the last month on charges of embezzling $35 billion from the Sonali bank, in what is the country’s largest ever case of fraud. “The Bangladesh government should instead demonstrate to the international community – and the customers of its US$36 billion garment industry – that it is serious about committing to workers’ rights and safety.”. Yet factory owners interviewed by Human Rights Watch said they do not believe that permitting the existence of independent trade unions will improve the situation. The garment workers produce clothing for very large retail corporations, such on January 12, 2007. May 11, 2020. Whenever they get the opportunity, they insult us. 2,000 stores in 37 countries. Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. It will replace the landmark Accord on Fire and Building Safety, forged in 2013 in the wake of the Rana Plaza factory collapse, which killed 1,100 garment workers. To submit a correction for our consideration, click here. (Taslima Akhter), Garment workers protest outside the National Press Club in Dhaka, demanding five months of wages that have been withheld by their factory. “Sanjit – just two years older than me and my closest sibling – supported me as I was the only one from the family to pursue higher education,” he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation, standing besides the empty plot. The unions said they based their estimates on accounts of workers who, learning that they had been fired, sought employment at other factories but were turned away because their status had been shared among manufacturers. In the days following the violence, the bosses have dismissed over 120 workers who they claim are militants, and who are responsible for troubles at the factory. Important words from the text "Bangladeshi garment workers fight back" on page 82 Line 16-30. Police have arrested more than 20 of their labor leaders. Bangladeshi garment workers fight back Flashcards | Quizlet Union leaders told Human Rights Watch that as of March 4, 52 workers had been arrested, 11 of whom had been denied bail and remained in detention. In December we invited the management to a meeting but they refused. When the factories closed for a few days, many garment workers went back to their villages, but the factories are now open again, and because the government has banned passenger transportation, workers continue to come, by car, by foot, and other private transport means. Global fashion brands that source goods from Bangladesh should support the workers’ pay demands, said Christie Miedema from the Clean Clothes Campaign, a global alliance of trade unions and non-government organisations. reported to have been tortured into giving false confessions and making false percent are women. So I think the struggles there remain largely self-organised and wildcat with the 'unions' one fairly marginal part of the ferment. Forbes Most of the people you are talking to here are the breadwinners of the family.” He added: “It’s not like we will get another job in another factory. Another worker who discovered his name on the notices is Humayun Kabir, 30, a sewing machine operator who had worked at the Setara Group factory for nearly six years – until he was provisionally fired. There are more than 5,000 garment factories in Bangladesh. “If we do not get salary for two weeks, this will be a huge problem.”, “The officials of our factories get pay rises every year,” one of the men speaks up. One woman was attacked with cutting shears. percent of students there. Please try again. See here for a complete list of exchanges and delays. More than 50 factory-level unions have been established, but since the law still requires union organizers to get the support of 30% of the factory’s workers before registering a union, employer threats and intimidation make it a difficult task, especially in factories employing thousands of people. If we don’t finish the work they insult us. Bangladesh: 2 Years After Rana Plaza, Workers Denied Rights During one protest, a worker said, “The government has locked down everything, but they didn’t lock down our stomachs. After strikes in mid-January 2019, union leaders have reported at least 7,500 garment workers were dismissed from their jobs. Bangladesh: Fifty garment workers beaten by hired thugs “I still do not know what my crime was and why I was dismissed,” he says. (Taslima Akhter), Throughout this crisis I have seen anger, fear, uncertainty, and hopelessness in the eyes and faces of garment workers, but I have also witnessed the collective strength of workers fighting together for their common good, and the resilience of finding new ways of pushing their cause. of Action to Defend Public Education, and the international student movement is As a result there have been frequent strikes and protests, some of which turn violent. D HAKA, BANGLADESH—Whenever there is another disaster in a Bangladeshi garment factory, one of the country's most dynamic young labor leaders, Kalpona Akter, races to the scene with two aims. (New York) – Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate garment worker and union leader allegations of arbitrary dismissals and false criminal cases following a recent protest demanding a wage hike, Human Rights Watch said today. Subsequently 15,000 workers blockaded a key highway route for many hours. In Human Rights Watch interviews conducted in Dhaka from October 2013 onwards, many of the interviewees described abusive practices. Workers like Moushumee are being laid off or having wages withheld during the coronavirus crisis. “The best way to avoid future Rana Plaza-type disasters and end the exploitation of Bangladeshi workers is to encourage the establishment of independent trade unions to monitor and protect workers’ rights,” said Brad Adams, Asia director. Textile workers in Narsingdi, central Bangladesh, yesterday fought police in protests against irregular power supply to their factory workplaces. Bangladesh’s largest lobby of factory owners insists it will not enter into new wage negotiations until 2018. The agreement is valid for 26 months. Even with an increase of he same amount this time, Malik notes, “you’d still be seeing Bangladesh as a location on the lower end of global wages in this industry”. http://libcom.org/news/rage-over-wage-04082010. But NGWF have admitted that at high points of struggle they 'have no control over workers'. It is the fourth largest exporter of apparel and “Many of the survivors are struggling to find a decent livelihood,” he said. Middle-class Bangladeshis stockpiled months worth of food, and immediately began avoiding crowds, with those able to work from home doing so. Submitted by working class … on October 23 . Before joining The Times in 2015, she was a reporter at the Financial Times both in London and New York. The two, along with other American firms including Gap, signed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety in 2013, which was less constraining and not legally binding for retailers. blocked streets for days on end and the university has been shut down at least It is because of them that our economy is improving and we have to acknowledge them.". Work with the government to ensure that anti-union behavior is eradicated. At least 29 criminal cases have been filed naming 551 individuals, as well as over 3,000 unidentified people, leaving workers at risk of being arbitrarily accused in one of these cases at a later date. One of my friends told me he doesn’t even stay at his own house, afraid the police will harass him.”, Another worries that he will not be paid for the weeks in December when the factories were shuttered. Garment workers are human beings like anyone else: They have families and dreams for a better life. RM analyses the strikes, riots and fires of the garment workers of Bangladesh for libcom.org/news. Both times I said yes. I’ve been taking photographs throughout this crisis, but I’ve also been continuing my work with the workers’ rights organization Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati (Bangladesh Garment Workers Solidarity), organizing meetings on Facebook, and holding discussions on Zoom. agreement intended to protect workers in the Bangladeshi garment industry, signed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety in 2013. We don’t have any alternative except coming into the street doing this protest. I'm not sure the photo of NGWF walking with Walmart workers banner is current. (Fariya Rahman), Activist and former garment worker Shama, center with hat, was forced to get an emergency heart valve replacement during the pandemic. (Daily Star). More than $30 million was paid out as compensation to the victims, but the payments concluded in 2015. Share this via Telegram Police said about 1,500 workers had been sacked or suspended but Akhter says the actual number “may be as much as 3,000”. http://www.newagebd.com/2010/aug/02/front.html#3.". The site where the eight-storey Rana Plaza building once stood is now an open field, overgrown with lush greenery. At the country’s RMG Sustainability Council, which took over Accord’s work in 2020, communication head Zobaidur Rahman Soeb said factory owners are now keen to ensure safe conditions, adding that Bangladesh’s garment industry had become “one of the safest in the world”. In December, union leaders said that government officials had threatened them in public and private settings that they would be arrested or disappeared if the protests continued ahead of the December 30 general elections. Garment workers are the backbone of the Bangladeshi economy. As well as being threatened, our workload was increased so it was hard to find the time to talk to my colleagues about the union. His wife, Jharna Begum, spoke to the Observer by phone from the jail, where she was visiting him. But garment workers haven’t been able to afford this luxury: They continued to go to their factories during the lockdown, and many live in cramped housing that doesn’t allow for the type of social distancing health authorities recommend. “I am one of six siblings from my 13-member family who are working,” he says. Bangladeshi Workers Fight Back - YouTube Students have set up a Facebook page at Bangladeshi workers fight back against corrupt bosses. Up…, Bangladesh: Fifty garment workers beaten by hired thugs, weeks of unrest in Bangladesh's garment industry, Widespread rioting has also taken place over inadequate electricity supplies. About 2,500 people were injured in the garment industry’s deadliest recorded incident, many of them seriously. For example, workers complained that in one factory a supervisor said that any woman joining the union would be stripped of her clothes and thrown into the street. Police and fear stalk the streets of Dhaka as clothes workers fight for more than £54 a month Garment workers in Bangladesh endure harsh conditions and the world's lowest minimum wage. Two of her fellow organizers were later attacked by unknown perpetrators, one with cutting shears. Despite its reputation as a more grass-roots garment workers group it is now clearly jockeying for position with rival bodies to try to 'own' the role of representation of garment labour by impressing the state with what a good cop it can be.
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