Call for Solidarity with the Garment Workers’ Struggle in Bangladesh

The labour struggle for an increase of the minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh intensified since October 23rd 2023. Hundreds of thousands of workers went on strike, rallied in the streets, blocked highways and attacked factory property.

On November 7^th the wage board declared that the monthly minimum wage will increase from 8,000 BDT (72 USD) to 12,500 BDT (113 USD) from next month onwards. The first increase for the past five years. Factory workers and their labour unions reject this decision decisively! The next increase can only be expected in the year 2028. Following the exceptionally high inflation rates in 2022 and 2023 the unions keep fighting for a minimum wage of at least 23,000 or 25,000 BDT (226 USD). Otherwise the most basic necessities can’t be afforded.

★ Therefore the struggle continues! ★

The Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC), with whom the ICL Working Group Asia has been in touch for years and also successfully collaborated labour struggles together before (check #UnitedAgainstTheDragon), now calls for the globalisation of the ongoing fight of the garment workers.

In the past few weeks hundreds of factories were closed (temporarily), partly due to strikes and partly by factory owners themselves fearing strike actions. The striking workers are regularly attacked by cops often using live ammunition and goons paid by factory owners. Recently the para-military Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) began patrolling the streets in some areas. Sadly five workers died in this labour struggle so far: Russel (shot by cops), Emran (died in a factory fire), Anjuaran (shot by cops), name unknown (run over by a bus when running away from cops) and Jalal (shot by cops).

Not only factory owners but also the retailing companies sourcing from those factories are major profiteers of the workers’ sweat and labour. The products end up in stores worldwide. Therefore: Let’s globalise this fight, take it to the streets and confront the brands!

Among the main buyers are clothing companies like adidas, H&M, Hugo Boss, Nike, Gap, Abercrombie & Fitch and lululemon, but also discout retailers such as Lidl and Walmart.

This labour struggle can be globalised by us pressuring those brands to ensure that their trading partners, the factory owners, pay the workers the minimum of 25,000 BDT!

A good opportunity to take the garment workers’ struggle to the streets might be the hype around „Black Friday“ (Nov. 24^th)! To help to inform the public about the struggle and international coordination efforts, this leaflet (A5, double-sided) was made.

This struggle will also continue after „Black Friday“. Therefore any activities in solidarity afterwards are much appreciated.

Do let us know, if you plan any actions and make sure to also share reports with us, which we then forward to the GWTUC and therefore to factory workers on the ground.

Contact: asia@icl-cit.org

#1world1struggle

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