01 August 2017 Anniversary, hunger strike, Nobel laureate: The work of NGWF in Bangladesh: NGWF calls for solidarity with workers July was turbulent at FEMNET's partner organization in Bangladesh, the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF): On 22 July 2017, the union celebrated its 34th anniversary. On this occasion, members and guests reviewed the achievements of the trade union and the developments in the Bangladeshi clothing industry over the past three decades. A week later, NGWF again drew attention to itself and the concerns of workers: 81 former employees of the garment factory Grameen Knit Wear Ltd, owned by Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, have symbolically gone on a hunger strike to protest their unlawful dismissal. Since 2015, they have been fighting together with NGWF for their right to compensation and against an unlawful procedure that has been opened against them - so far without success. With the hunger strike in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, NGWF and the affected workers hope for international solidarity and call for a response from those responsible. In addition to Muhammad Yunus and the Bangladeshi government, NGWF is also asking the factory's purchasing companies to stand up for workers' rights. The German companies Hess Natur and Aldi Nord are also among them. Videos about the hunger strike and other current Actions of NGWF can be found here.
