Bangladesh
uprising:
What now?
Worker rights must be protected, as Bangladesh moves towards a more democratic and free future.
Following the recent uprising in Bangladesh that saw the government overthrown, the people of Bangladesh are now looking to the future. What is clear is that worker rights and the rights of all people must be prioritised in this new era. Our solidarity statement, as part of the Rana Plaza Solidarity Collective is below. We call on the brands to make sure workers don’t pay the price of change.
Our solidarity statement:
We, the undersigned UK organisations, stand with Bangladeshi workers, student groups and the whole labour movement in their calls for justice in Bangladesh at this time.
We condemn the use of lethal force against peaceful demonstrators in recent weeks and call for an independent investigation into the killings, with justice being provided for all bereaved families. People and organisations should be free to speak up and act to protect their own rights and those of others, this must not change with the creation of an interim government.
At the same time, we note that fashion brands who are responsible for the lives and livelihoods of millions of workers in Bangladesh, are already prioritising their business interests over their duty of care for workers in this extreme situation. We recall the failure of brands to provide adequate remedy and compensation for workers when the COVID pandemic shut down production overnight and left millions destitute at a time of unprecedented public health crisis and global need. We also note that brands failed to support Bangladeshi workers in their demands for a fair wage last year, which resulted in lethal, violent repression against workers protesting the poverty wages set by the government. This must not happen again. Fashion brands have a duty to ensure worker wages are paid on time and in full, including this week, and ensure that workers do not pay the cost for order stoppages.
Delays in production due to the protests and the state’s violent response, which has killed at least 300 people, are already being used by brands to justify abandoning workers, by cutting orders, shifting production elsewhere and lowering supplier prices. As organisations based in the UK we call on fashion brands to prioritise the wellbeing of the people on whose labour their profits are built, and commit to stable sourcing and ensuring workers are paid fully in the coming months.
Our movement further rejects the idea that the UK should become a home to tyrants. Former PM Sheikh Hasina, now in exile, must be made to face justice for her crimes. We echo the calls of the people of Bangladesh for a thorough criminal investigation and trial, compliant with international standards, into the former prime minister’s role in the violent and deadly repression of legitimate protests and her complicity in the ensuing deaths of hundreds of people.
SIGNED:
Rana Plaza Solidarity Collective
Labour Behind the Label
War on Want
No Sweat
Remake – UK Hub
Nijjor Manush
Global Justice Now
STUC
The Independent Workers’ union of Great Britain (IWGB)
Equity union
NASUWT union
BFAWU union
General Federation of Trade Unions
Fire Brigades Union (FBU)
University and College Union (UCU)
Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS)
Communication Workers Union (CWU)
Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW)
Peace and Justice Project
Workers must not pay the price of disruption
Our information on the ground is that the vast majority of workers in Bangladesh’s garment factories haven’t received their wages for last month, which are now late (August 9th). There were also enforced factory closures which saw some days of stoppage. Fears are that workers will not be paid for these days when the factories were closed, or if they are, that suppliers will hold this as a time debt to require unpaid overtime at a later date. When workers already receive extremely meagre pay, underpayment of wages is significantly impacting. Brands must intervene and make sure that workers are paid, in full, and that extreme work pressure and excessive overtime that may result from suppliers trying to catch up with overdue orders, are avoided.