Shahidul Islam

© Shahidul Islam

Killing of a trade unionist during minimum wage negotiations in Bangladesh

After five years, the minimum wage in Bangladesh will be renegotiated. Trade unions are calling for an increase in wages to 23,000 Taka in order to secure the basic supply of workers. In recent months, trade union intimidation by factory owners has become more common. Following the murder of trade unionist Shahidul Islam, FEMNET is reaching further worrying news indicating a growing risk for workers and trade unionists.

In April, the Bangladeshi government formed a minimum wage board to review wages in the garment sector. In the last wage adjustment in 2018, the minimum wage was set at 8000 Taka (approximately €68). Even then, this was hardly enough for the clothing workers to live. As a result of the following crises, many workers and their families came into existential distress: Temporary shop closures in Europe, shrinking sales and canceled orders from the Western brands led to numerous apparel workers losing their jobs. As soon as the clothing market recovered from the pandemic and made people in the producing countries hope for stable incomes, rising inflation rates due to the Russian war of aggression on Ukraine again led to families not receiving enough wages to cover the costs of everyday life. loud Calculations of BILLS (Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies) workers need almost three times the current minimum wage (23,000 Taka = about 194€) to live a dignified life.

The murder of Shahidul Islam and its consequences for trade union work

FEMNET is now increasingly hearing from partner organisations that factory owners suppress the work of trade unions and intimidate active people. That some factory owners now also choose heavy physical attacks as a means of intimidation, showed the brutal murder of trade union leader Shahidul Islam. He was the organizer of the BGIWF (Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation) and fought for more than 25 years for compliance with labour rights in the clothing industry. The respected trade unionist and his colleagues were attacked after they left a meeting with the factory management of Prince Jacquard Sweaters Ltd. They helped the workers to get the wages they were entitled to. The attackers beat and kicked Shahidul Islam to the point of unconsciousness. In a nearby hospital, he was pronounced dead a short time later.

The violent murder of Shahidul Islam is a painful reminder of the increasing dangers for workers and activists in Bangladesh who stand up for their rights. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) assumes that the murder of Shahidul Islam contributes to the intimidation of workers and further complicates the organizational work of trade union leaders. Kalpona Akter, president of the BGIWF and director of FEMNET's partner organization BCWS (Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity), criticizes the targeted support of employer-related unions (yellow unions) by the economy and says: “Shahidul mobilised thousands of workers to join trade unions and empowered them to become factory-level leaders. Over the course of his life, he has helped thousands of workers to receive the arrears and severance payments wrongly denied by their employers. The years of industry's promotion of the yellow unions and the neglect of workers' voices were the reason for his death. His contribution to the trade union movement has been remarkable and will be sorely missed.”

Further deaths of workers

Shortly after the news of the murder of Shahidul Islam, FEMNET was informed of further deaths. FEMNET's partner organization NGWF, one of the country's largest trade unions, is asking for help in resolving another murder of a worker. Rabiul Islam was kidnapped by a large group of men in Ashulia on July 31; A short time later, his body was found in a sack in the city of Dhamrai, 9 km away. According to the NGWF, he was an overseer in the factory, but also active as a trade unionist. His increasing influence was the reason for his murder. Since there is no clear evidence of the link between the murder and the factory management at this stage, FEMNET calls on the Bangladeshi government and the employers' association BGMEA to initiate an investigation and clarification of the case as soon as possible.

Another death occurred in a Shinest Group factory. A worker, also named Rabiul Islam, was killed by the cover of a boiler and died on 3 August 2023. The mentioned factory falls under the Accord and should therefore be regularly examined by the RSC (RMG Sustainability Council) so that accidents at work such as this can be prevented. In one The Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) is criticized for the increase in accidents in factories since the adoption of the Accord by the RSC. The results of the investigation also suggest that the effectiveness of the investigations has diminished since 2021. In addition, CPD calls for more transparency and improvements in complaint mechanisms.

The current situation of garment workers in Bangladesh shows once again that hard-won labour rights have become less important in recent years. The pressure on the apparel industry caused by the ongoing impact of global crises means that workers and trade unionists face a growing threat as they fight for their rights. FEMNET therefore calls on all brands that source clothing from Bangladesh and the Textile Alliance to support the 23,000-taka demand of the trade unions and to ensure the freedom of association of the trade unions - because it is precisely at this critical stage of the wage negotiations that workers should be able to express their demands freely without fear of reprisals.

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