The military coup that took place at the beginning of February has severe consequences for the textile workers in Myanmar. Many workers have lost their jobs, trade unionists are persecuted and have to go into hiding. Since June, the number of coronavirus cases has also increased, making the situation of people fighting for democracy in their country more difficult. The military is using the pandemic as a weapon against the people and making access to medical care more difficult.
India is currently the world's most affected country by the coronavirus. The high number of cases and deaths and the resulting lockdowns have a serious impact on textile workers. According to FEMNET's partner organizations, these are under a high psychological burden. In addition, they are exposed to an increased risk of infection due to their work and housing situation. The restrictions also lead to the accumulation of child labour.
For more than three months, the people of Myanmar have been fighting against the tyranny of the military. Peaceful protesters within the Civil disobedience movements (CDM) to the "Spring Revolution".
Since the beginning of the takeover by the military on February 1, according to the AAPP (Assistance Association for Political Prisoners759 civilians were murdered by the coup. Activists and trade unionists are the focus of the persecution. In mid-March, the military regime declared a number of labour rights organizations illegal, including eight partner organizations of the Clean clothes campaign. In order to avoid reprisals and arrests, most people only have to go underground.
© Nyan Zay Htet
The tyranny of the military threatens the once thriving clothing sector and more than half a million jobs.
Mass protests and police violence have increased daily since the military coup in Myanmar. People need our solidarity and support. An overview of the events and how they affect textile workers and trade unionists.
This and other photos/videos on the Facebook page of the IMFM
Since the military coup on 1 February 2021, people in Myanmar have been resisting the military takeover, with street rallies, strikes and noise protests. Workers from all sectors of the economy join the protests and the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). Textile workers also follow the resistance to restore democracy and call for international solidarity.
© BCWS
Your demands are clear: Drop the charges! No blacklists! Stop the dismantling of trade unions! Although the suppression of wage protests in Bangladesh has already been a year, many of the affected workers are still waiting for justice.
© Hundreds of
In Tunisia, these activists are fighting for decent work. As part of the Fair Weeks, Amani Allagui from FTDES (Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights) and Houda El Fadhel, a former textile worker, reported on her work in the factories and with the women in the Tunisian textile industry in Germany. Her appeal was addressed to European companies and local procurers: Pay more attention to human rights when shopping!
© NGWF
Bangladesh's oldest and largest trade union federation for textile workers, the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), is turning 35. The association was founded in 1984 and now has 92,440 members and 86 registered trade unions at factory level.
After Months of wrestling and several times Postponement of the decision The Supreme Court finally reached an agreement on the Accord in Bangladesh on 19 May 2019: The agreement on building safety and fire protection guarantees continued work for 281 days.
In addition, the agreement includes the establishment of a national safety committee, which will take over the activities of the Accord, as well as all its infrastructure and staff after that deadline. It is an agreement between the Accord Steering Committee and the BGMEA (Employers' Association of the Bangladeshi Clothing Industry) and is endorsed by the Bangladeshi government.
Mother who lost her daughter in the collapse of the Rana Plaza building. Photo: © FEMNETBonn. Exactly six years ago, 1,134 seamstresses died in the rubble of a factory building in Savar, Dhaka, Bangladesh. More than 1,800 people were injured. In the ‘Rana Plaza’ building, five textile factories were producing, many for large fashion companies, whose products are also hanging in our wardrobes.
After the disaster, the entire fashion industry declared ‘Never again Rana Plaza!’. But what is the situation today? Six years after the terrible catastrophe, repression and poverty wages dominate Bangladesh's garment industry. Progress in making factories safe is under threat.
Also in Tunisia, a lot of clothing is produced, fashion as well as workwear. A large proportion of exports go to Europe. Photo © FEMNET
FEMNET wants to find out what the working conditions in the production of workwear look like. In order to convince local buyers and decision-makers in public administrations even more successfully how useful it is to switch to sustainable procurement procedures, FEMNET is preparing a study on the working conditions in the production of workwear in cooperation with partner organisations in India and Tunisia.
Our research revealed that information specifically on workwear is to a large extent outdated and only very scattered - a large part of the studies available today focus on fashion. We know from experience reports that in practice there are usually similar problems as in fashion production. Nevertheless, the sectors are structured differently and there are other requirements for the final products.
Part of the preparations were study trips, during which the FEMNET employees Anni Korts-Laur, responsible for the coordination of the study and Katharina Edinger, responsible for later communication measures, got to know the project partners in order to ensure the safe and exact implementation of our transnational study together. In the first part of our travel reports, they share their impressions of their stay in Tunisia in October 2018. Anni-Korts-Laur will report on her study trip to India in December 2018 in the second part shortly.
