01 November 2017 "Without international solidarity, we would be lost" Mim Akter (left) and Kalpona Akter report on the struggle for survival in the Bangladeshi clothing industry. Photo: © FEMNETBangladeshi activists report on the daily struggle for better working conditions in the garment industry Wages in Bangladesh's apparel industry are among the lowest in the world. Working conditions have not improved significantly since the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in April 2013, with over 1,100 dead and 2,500 injured. However, the Accord building and fire protection agreement has increased the safety of workers before a collapse or fire. But this does not mean that women's discrimination, massive overtime and trade union persecution have disappeared. When thousands of workers went on strike for a higher minimum wage in December 2016 in the Ashulia textile region of Bangladesh, factory owners and the government relentlessly beat back to intimidate workers and trade unions. 600 workers and trade unionists were charged, 1500 were simply fired, dozens were imprisoned. Almost a year after the brutal suppression of the protests, Kalpona Akter and Mim Akter are in Germany at the invitation of FEMNET e.V. and the Friedrich Ebert Foundation to report on the struggle for better working conditions and fairer pay. During public events and lectures in front of students, at symposia, discussion rounds and press conferences, the two emphasized international solidarity as essential support for their struggle. “Factory owners and government members are often one and the same people in Bangladesh. Government officials therefore often represent the interests of factory owners. That's why we depend on the pressure of consumers and the shopping brand companies. We need your voice to make a difference!” Mim tells the story of the everyday life of a factory worker in Bangladesh. She has been working in the same factory for 14 years and has now made it into a leading position. Therefore, it receives the equivalent of 80 euros per month; The minimum wage that most workers receive is only 60 euros per month. Since this is not enough for life, not for one person, let alone for a family, most workers do a lot of overtime. She works an average of 11 to 13 hours a day. Mim's one-year-old daughter usually sleeps when she comes home. "But we don't just accept that. We are trying to make changes, we have set up a factory union despite all the difficulties!" Kalpona and Mim say; The only thing that really helps to improve working conditions is trade unions. If the workers have the opportunity to defend themselves together against employers, they can stand up for their rights. However, joining a trade union in Bangladesh is extremely difficult and dangerous: In order to form a factory union, the union must first gain 30 percent of the workforce. The workers have to register and there is a very high risk that the list will come to the attention of factory management, at the latest when it is submitted to the Ministry of Labour. Intimidation, smashing of particularly ‘rebellious’ workers, false accusations and arbitrary dismissals are part of everyday life in Bangladesh. In doing so, the country is systematically violating internationally recognised human and labour rights. However, compliance with these requirements is a precondition for Bangladesh to be able to export the clothing produced to the European Union duty-free and therefore cheaply – which represents a major competitive advantage for the country. Two-thirds of Bangladeshi-made clothing ends up in the EU. On several occasions, the EU has already called on the country to implement international labour law and threatened to otherwise withdraw the generous trade benefits. However, as so often, concrete steps have not yet been taken. That's why the international Clean Clothes Campaign, which includes FEMNET, and international trade union federations are calling on the EU to finally adopt a Formal investigation into human rights violations in Bangladesh enforce. "We very much hope that the EU will put pressure on our government to finally recognise and implement the rights of our workers," explains Kalpona Akter. The two activists flew back to Bangladesh on October 28. Their round trip in Germany is over, and their fight for better working conditions is far from over.
