Dhaka ( Agenzia Fides )- A documentary by the British newspaper” Guardian” titled” The shirt on your back” from 2014 depicted the human cost of a cotton T-shirt made in Bangladesh, tracing the entire supply chain of the so-called “fast fashion industry,” the consumer-based clothing sector that has expanded significantly in Western nations in recent years. The review, which reveals the system’s human and environmental costs, criticizes the cruel working conditions of workers, particularly women, who are the final link in the production network of the major international textile industry players. The Rana Plaza, an eight-story business building, collapsed on April 24, 2013, in Savar, a region of the Bangladeshi money Dhaka. This horror is what brought this trend to the forefront of international news coverage. A full of 1, 138 people perished in the worst cotton manufacturer accident in nation history while being buried beneath the collapsed structure, which was already deemed impenetrable and housed several clothing factories and workshops run by businesses seeking to make clothing at a discount.
The horror drew attention from the international media and prompted calls for contracts to protect workers ‘ fundamental rights. However, just a few months ago, on the tenth anniversary of the accident, thousands of Bangladeshi workers protested for justice and emphasized that those responsible were not held accountable for the murder of 1, 138 workers. The victims ‘ families recalled the sensational case of Sohel Rana, the owner of Runa Plaza, who made workers work despite structural flaws. The man, one of the 38 crime suspects, is also facing charges despite the fact that the major players in the textile industry, who are” customers” of exploiting low-wage work without even the most basic security measures, have not been charged. Following the disaster, two oversight systems were established to raise labor requirements, and a review of salary for Bangladesh’s four million workers—most of whom are women—who work in the textile industry —a significant domestic market that accounts for about 85 % of its exports—was conducted. The subject is pertinent once more now: Millions of Bangladeshi workers have banded together in recent weeks to protest for a good pay due to the precarious state of the country’s textile industry. The peaceful protests that started in late October demanding a raise in the minimum wage turned harsh as the weeks passed because nothing changed. Four workers were killed and almost 100 people were arrested during police clashes, which also slowed professional activity. According to police, vandalism caused damage to 123 factories and forced more than 100 workers to stop working. Because the vast majority of employees in the industry are ladies, the opposition was dubbed the “garment staff ‘ uprising.” The demand for an increase in the minimum wage to 23, 000 taka ( roughly 209 USD ) is the main focus of the protests, but as of 2018, the amount is still frozen at 8, 000 toka ( nearly 73 USD ). The workers claim that given the prices in the Asian nation, the raise is immediately required. Workers rejected the government’s announcement to raise the pay to 12, 500 taka ( roughly$ 112 ) last week and chose to continue their protest. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association’s leader, Faruque Hasan, warned that if employees ‘ demands were met, “many companies would close and employees would lose their jobs” because labour costs were out of reach. Union officials, like Joly Talukder, public minister of the” Garment Workers Union Center” in Bangladesh, point out that the users are using the earnings to increase their operations and available more companies rather than to improve the working parameters of their employees. Finding a middle ground between the needs of both sides would allow for increased worker compensation and factory closures, according to some academics and independent watchers, but this would also need the global clothes businesses that commission the products to address the issue. ” There is a way to raise pay.” Our projections place the salary at 17, 568 taka ( 158 USD ). This can be a worthwhile option if the major brands or customers raise the price by 6 or 7 percent. According to Khondaker Golam Moazzem, director of the independent think tank Center for Policy Dialogue ( CPD), factory owners should n’t always be in charge of it. Over 3,500 textile factories are located in Bangladesh, which employs over 4 million men and women and accounts for 85 % of the nation’s$ 55 billion in annual exports. ( PA ) ( Agenzia Fides, November 13, 2023 )
Share: