(Taslima Akhter), Garment workers protest against layoffs, terminations, and withheld pay—they are demanding 100 percent of their wage during factory closures. It has been sued for discrimination and for violating the American with Behind Wal-Mart’s All quotes delayed a minimum of 15 minutes. Join our movement today. Bangladesh has ratified International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and is required to protect the rights contained in them. Share this via Twitter I showed up with friends to support him and his family—that’s me second from right in the PPE. Share this via WhatsApp Two of her fellow organizers were later attacked by unknown perpetrators, one with cutting shears. 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. Garment workers are the backbone of the Bangladeshi economy. Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World. Last modified on Wed 19 Oct 2022 11.45 EDT I t was 4.30am when the police charged the hundreds of garment workers sleeping under makeshift shelters and in sleeping bags on the streets of Dhaka,. How Apparel Brand Purchasing Practices Drive Labor Abuses, Unfair and Abusive Labor Practices in Pakistan, Human Rights Watch defends the rights of people in close to 100 countries worldwide, spotlighting abuses and bringing perpetrators to justice. Anyone can read what you share. But others see the protests as signs of deeper trouble. The general manager told us not to set up the union; he said they would give us permission to set one up later. 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. I heard six rounds of firing. Share this via Printer. A garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2013. (Taslima Akhter), The Nation and Magnum Foundation are partnering on a visual chronicle of untold stories as the coronavirus continues to spread across the United States and the rest of the world—read more from The Invisible Front Line.—The Editors, I still remember that colorful day, over three months ago now, when hundreds of young women and men gathered in the streets of Ashulia, an industrial zone outside the capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, to celebrate International Women’s Day. The Bangladesh Daily Star yesterday reported that the attackers, led by police informant and local hoodlum Mobarak, beat up the workers, mostly women, and also confined five workers to the office of an executive on the third floor of the seven-storey Padma Poly Cotton Knit Fabrics Ltd. Police took away the five - Joynal, Ashraf, Momin, Yousuf and Rakib - in an unconscious state five and a half hours after the incident. A woman who has been working in the garment sector for the last four years was named in one of the criminal cases. Garment exports, which account for 80 percent of Bangladesh's annual export revenue, fell 17 percent in 2020. We don’t even have the possibility to maintain social distancing. $24 per month, which had not been changed since 2006, was less than $1 a day; (New York) - Bangladesh authorities should immediately investigate garment worker and union leader allegations of arbitrary dismissals and false criminal cases following a recent protest. Rana Plaza survivors still struggling with their injuries have more pressing concerns. Bangladeshi FM discusses factory safety. They are reported as having been cherry-picked by the government for the negotiations. (Daily Star). a minimum wage increase to 5,000 taka ($72) per month. After relentless pressure, the management agreed to pay them two months salary, but this has not been paid in full yet. In order to regain these benefits, the US demanded that Bangladesh improve its monitoring and inspection of factories and increase “fines and other sanctions, including loss of import and export licenses” that fail to comply with labor, fire, or building standards. police began to attack students, they rebelled and blocked streets. But when workers tried to return to work, they were met with mass dismissals and arrests. “What I need is proper rehabilitation and continued, accessible medical support,” she said at a news conference for victims last week. Then they took blades out of their pockets and started to slash me. Over 100,000 people have been infected so far, and over 1,300 have died. It is because of them that our economy is improving and we have to acknowledge them.". If we don’t finish the work they insult us. The NGWF have obviously been keenly aware of other workers struggles around the world and pictures have appeared of them showing support for workers in the Aturias and lately WallMart workers in the US. The workers claimed that some managers intimidate and mistreat employees involved in setting up unions, including threatening to kill them. Subsequently 15,000 workers blockaded a key highway route for many hours. They have increased the amount of work that all of us have to complete. “Otherwise workers are being used as a mode of production, but none of the benefits are accruing to them … and at the end of the day, people are going to speak up, people are going to revolt,” she adds. 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. “Earlier I could buy food items for two to three days with just 100 taka, but now I can’t afford the same items with even 500,” said Jolly Akter, 27, a union leader who works as a garment quality inspector. from October through November. At least 7,500 workers so far have been fired following the January 2019 strikes, according to information from labor groups that Human Rights Watch reviewed. Two managers and 10 outsiders were involved. (Taslima Akhter), I’ve been using Zoom and Facebook Live to stay in touch with garment worker leaders during the pandemic. When tens of thousands of garment workers demonstrated in July in the capital Bangladesh’s largest lobby of factory owners insists it will not enter into new wage negotiations until 2018. Meanwhile, bosses at the company - who supply Primark and New Look - are arrested on embezzlement charges in the country's largest ever corruption case. Fifteen of us who were organizing it were threatened with dismissal. Others said that factory managers refused to meet them. Global 2000, which ranks the top 2,000 companies, reports that Wal-Mart is the The action of students in Bangladesh, much like the student movement in Puerto Two of them were beaten. entire industries. There are 60,000 supplier Following three days of a large and noisy protest outside the factory and offices, the bosses continued to refuse to bow to the worker’s demands. Bangladesh to deal with recent riots among garment workers by scapegoating 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. Wal-Mart forces the suppliers to cut costs and sets the prices of 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. 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. Share this via Reddit Encourage Bangladeshi factories to protect worker rights. 06/11/2021 Bangladeshi textile workers fear for their safety following the expiration of a successful accord brought in after the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster. Share this via Reddit One of the tenants who was shot said that when the police banged on his door, he “opened the door because my 8-year-old son was crying out of fear from the banging on the door and my wife was asking me to open the door because [I am a Line Chief supervisor], not a worker, so the police would understand that I would not attend the protest.” When he opened the door and showed the police his ID card, he said, they seemed convinced. horrible working conditions in the garment industry. VIDEO: People in Denmark Are a Lot Happier Than People in the United States. There are more than 5,000 garment factories in Bangladesh. 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. May 11, 2020. were injured and arrested. industrial sector in the country, and it is steadily growing. 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. 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. A bystander said she was shot as she stood at her darkened window on the second floor of her building. Its 2009 revenue was $405 billion. But one day the floor supervisor found out. On January 8, Sumon Mia, 22, was shot and killed during the protests by the police, said a witness whose name, like those of other people interviewed, has been withheld for his protection. When he went there the next day he was surrounded by a group of men who beat him and slashed him with blades. I fled.… Later I found Sumon’s body lying in the road. By Md. But these workers have been sacrificing their youth and their health for the development of the country’s economy, and the factory owners, international buyers, and the government treat them as disposable tools in the pursuit of profit. Historical Amnesia About Slavery Is a Tool of White Supremacy. http://www.newagebd.com/2010/aug/02/front.html#3.". Global garment retailers, unions and factory owners negotiated a successor to the landmark fire and safety agreement. He started to threaten me. The workers alleged that they informed and pleaded with Sub-Inspector Abdul Bari, who was patrolling the area at that time, to come to their rescue, but to no avail. The unrest over rates of pay forced around 50 factories to shut for more than a week and led to dozens of arrests and the “temporary dismissal” of at least 1,500 workers. The workers alleged that the outsiders also molested the women workers during the two-hour attack from 4:00pm. Rico, has drawn support from around the world and has energized the student After I submitted the registration form, some local gangsters came to my house and threatened me. Garment workers create signs for their protest against their wage withholding factory, May 11. In July 2013, the EU’s European trade commissioner, Karel De Gucht, warned that Bangladesh might lose its duty-free and quota-free access to the EU if it did not improve its record on labor rights and workplace safety. Students have also been waging tremendous struggles in Dhaka, and in 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. At approximately 8:30 a.m., police fired rubber bullets, tear gas, and water cannons to disperse the crowds. So we felt really scared. In order to comment, you must be logged in as a paid subscriber. garment workers, who were making 1,662 taka ($24) monthly, have been demanding A colleague of Mia’s told Human Rights Watch that he and Mia were returning from their lunch break when they got caught in the protests: “Police started shooting and the workers started running away, so Sumon and I started running and suddenly Sumon was shot in his chest and he fell down. Very interesting report. http://libcom.org/tags/bangladeshi-garment-workers, the vast majority of the big strikes and disputes have been wildcat strikes, not union strikes, The plot thickens - http://www.newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2012-10-25&nid=28221#.UIlXtMXA-_g. The workers said they did not do any work in the factory yesterday in protest as the authorities sacked Majibar Rahman, one of their leaders on Sunday and the hired thugs beat up two other leaders - Sayeed and Ashraf - on Monday night who were protesting the termination. 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. The legally binding Accord held thousands of inspections and banned unsafe factories from supplying its signatory buyers, helping make some 1,600 factories safer for 2 million workers, according to labour activists. In virtually a single generation, the apparel sector has lifted millions of Bangladeshis out of subsistence lifestyles, but failed to take them any higher, she says. "We know we have a lot of responsibilities in the wake of any unrest in the industrial sector. The Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector is the largest I showed up with friends to support him and his family—that’s me second from right in the PPE. 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. The site where the eight-storey Rana Plaza building once stood is now an open field, overgrown with lush greenery. Aug. 25, 2021. Copyright (c) 2023 The Nation Company LLC, Spain’s Left Is in Turmoil—and Now It’s Facing a Huge Electoral Test, Get Ready for AI Surveillance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Congress Is Sticking Students With the Check, The Right’s War on Drag Is Flagrantly Unconstitutional. Green Line Transition - Bangladeshi garment workers fight back - Quizlet May 11, 2020. The growth it generates needs to be distributed as better wages, safety nets, and more benefits for the people,” she says. Human Rights Watch is a 501(C)(3) nonprofit registered in the US under EIN: 13-2875808. Factory owners sometimes used local gangsters to threaten or attack workers outside the workplace, including at their homes, they said. Students in the U.S. are planning for the next National Day Even if I am not, [if] I do not get my job back at this factory, I may not find another job in any other ready-made garment factory because of what has happened here.”. Get updates on human rights issues from around the globe. (New York) - The Bangladeshi government should stop garment factory owners from intimidating and threatening workers for organizing trade unions, and prosecute those responsible for attacks. When the crisis hit our country, everyone started wearing masks. We don’t know anything about coronavirus. “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. On January 8, as many as 10,000 workers blocked the roads in the Baghbari area of Hemayetpur in Savar, north of Dhaka. Zabed. 15,000 Bangladeshi garment workers blockade a key highway in protest at unpaid wages. FILE - Garment workers protest demanding higher wages, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Jan. 9, 2019. However, by beating back the student movement, the I believe it's from June 2012. we have huge amounts of coverage of textile workers' struggles in Bangladesh, including information on the unions there in this archive: RM analyses the strikes, riots and fires of the garment workers of Bangladesh for libcom.org/news. The savage repression follows weeks of unrest in Bangladesh's garment industry in which wildcat strikes and riots have rocked the country with demands for a decent minimum wage. “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. “There is no scope to increase the wages of ready-made garment workers at this moment,” he says. “But I was working at my station. At Ashulia, people are back at their workstations, if only for now. Many officials in the factory know me very well, and they know I wouldn’t join any protest or vandalize the factory property. Bangladesh: Fifty garment workers beaten by hired thugs [When I returned] I found my photo on the notice saying I have been temporarily dismissed along with a few others.”, The days since have been anxious ones for Gain.