This a continuation of the Labour Notes South Asia (LNSA) dispatches | We also hope to build a partial archive of posts from the original LNSA mailing list (2000 to 2019) (see list URL) | See archived posts 2004-2005 | [the full webarchive of the list is now unavailable as it has been permanently removed by yahoo on Dec 2019]
The hypocrisy of our concern for workers trapped in Uttarkashi tunnel | Sanjay Srivastava
The
migrant labour force produces the visible signs of national pride —
governments proudly proclaim the making of a new and global India — but
itself becomes invisibilised
We build statues, name stadiums and write hagiographies to honour
Bollywood stars, cricketers, politicians and a pantheon of celebrities.
But for the human infrastructure of the nation — the women and men who
build tunnels and highways, run factories, service middle-class homes —
there are only obituaries of anonymity. The hapless migrant worker is
truly the forgotten citizen, mainly breaking the surface of national
consciousness as a figure in televised tragedy. “National greatness” is
attributed to the products of migrant exertion — shiny new expressways
and gigantic statues — but is never expressed in the vocabulary of care
and policy requirements for those who make the nation great.
Flung from the abjection of village life
into the hostility of their new, distant environments, migrant workers
largely exist in the national consciousness as dispensable life. They
are driven out of cities during periods of health crises,
Bangladesh garment workers fighting for pay face brutal violence and threats
Workers
describe hands and arms being targeted in ‘merciless’ beatings as
protests over low wages turn increasingly violent in Dhaka
Garment workers clash with police in Dhaka on 2 November during protests over low wages inBangladesh. Photograph: Kazi Salahuddin Razu/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
When
Masuma Akhtar arrived at the garment factory where she works on the
outskirts of Dhaka on 31 October, she was expecting a normal shift.
Instead, she was met with brute violence. “The moment I walked through
the factory gates, a group of armed men began beating me with wooden
sticks,” says Akhtar. “I fell down on to the ground. Even then they
wouldn’t stop beating me.”
Akhtar, 22, is a
seamstress at Dekko Knitwears in Mirpur, where she spends long days
churning out clothes for western fashion brands, including Marks &
Spencer, C&A and PVH Corp, which owns Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin
Klein.
Bangladesh
is one of the world’s biggest producers of fast fashion, pumping out
millions of tonnes of clothing every year to meet the demands of the
world’s most popular clothing brands, which are drawn to this small
South Asian country where orders – and the labour needed to fulfil them –
come cheap.
Although most fast fashion brands
that source from Bangladesh claim to support a living wage, they are
only required to pay the workers who make their clothes the legal
monthly minimum wage, which is one of the lowest in the world and has
remained set at 8,000 taka (££58) since 2018.
Negotiations
over a new minimum wage for garment workers in Bangladesh have sparked
mass demonstrations on streets across the capital. The protests have escalated
since the government announced a minimum wage increase for the workers,
from 1 December, to 12,500 taka (£90), far below the 23,000 taka a
month workers say they need to keep their families from starvation.
Factory
owners and police have responded to workers’ protests with threats and
violence. The beatings she received by armed men at Dekko Knitwears left
Akhtar with a broken arm. “They hit my back, my thighs and my arms
repeatedly,” she says. Now, without use of one of her arms, she is
unable to work. “I don’t know how I will survive the rest of the month,”
she adds.
Masuma Akhtar’s arm was broken when she was beaten by armed man at Dekko Knitwears in Mirpur. Photograph: Sazzad Hossain
Other
workers at Dekko Knitwears say that the men beating them concentrated
on their hands and arms. “They started hitting us mercilessly,” says
Bushra Begum, 25, another worker. “My livelihood depends on my hands,
and they targeted them viciously.”
Her
colleague Rita Anwar, 26, tried to run away but was chased down the road
by three men. “I am covered in blood clots,” she says, pulling up her
sleeve to reveal her injuries. “My back is black with bruises. The pain
is so much that I can barely walk.”
Before
they left, the men issued a warning: the workers were not to take part
in any more protests – or they would face consequences.
As
protests in Dhaka turned increasingly violent, two garment workers have
been killed, allegedly after being shot by police in the first wave of
protests. And last Wednesday, another woman died after being shot in the head.
Factory
owners also threatened to shut down production and withhold wages by
applying a “no work, no pay” rule. Over the weekend, more than 150
factories closed “indefinitely”, as police issued blanket charges for 18,000 workers in connection with the demonstrations.
Workers
were warned of dismissal if they continued to protest and the
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, a trade
body, called for all factory recruitment to be paused, making it difficult for protesters to find work elsewhere.
But
despite the violent crackdown on workers, those who have spoken to the
Guardian are determined to see the fight through to the end.
“They
are trying to silence us but we won’t back down,” says Naima Islam, a
machine operator at Columbia Garments. “They can threaten and beat us
but what they don’t understand is, we have nothing to lose. If we accept
their ridiculous wage proposal, we will starve to death anyway.”
Islam, 28, is one of thousands of protesters who have had police reports
filed against them, which trade unionists fear may soon lead to mass
arrests. Many believe it is an attempt to forcefully suppress the wage
increase movement.
But that hasn’t deterred
Islam and her co-workers. “We are not asking for much. This entire
industry is built off our backs – the least we deserve is the bare
minimum to survive,” she says.
Nazma Akter, president of local trade union
Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, condemns the violence against
protesting workers. “The Bangladesh government must ensure workers are
able to exercise their rights to freedom of association and collective
bargaining without fear of violence, reprisal, or intimidation,” she
says.
Garment workers block a key intersection during a protest in Dhaka on 12 November. Photograph: Abdul Goni/AFP/Getty Images
In
a statement, Marks & Spencer said: “These are very serious
allegations and we are urgently investigating them. We would never
tolerate violence or intimidation of workers and set out very clearly in
our global sourcing principles that workers must be guaranteed freedom
of association and a safe workplace, as well as fair and transparent
wages. As a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative, we have supported
the tripartite minimum wage negotiations between the unions, Government
Wages Board and the Employers’ Association – and we continue to support
cross-sector calls for an increase that provides a decent standard of
living for workers.”
A
spokesperson for C&A said: “We are aware of the incident that took
place in Bangladesh, and we are in close contact with the supplier to
investigate. We condemn all types of violence, and we have a
longstanding commitment to ensure the safety and health of all workers
in our supply chain.”
Dekko Knitwears and Columbia Garments were approached for comment but did not respond.
Fashion brands sourcing from Bangladesh have said they support workers’ calls for a higher minimum wage. In a joint letter
in September, brands including Asos, Primark and H&M, wrote that
they recognised their role in “supporting wage developments”. But rights
groups argue that this means little if brands don’t agree to pay their
suppliers more.
Yesterday, Human Rights Watch and Clean Clothes Campaign called on brands
to take responsibility for their workers’ wages and pay their suppliers
more. Aruna Kashyap, associate director on corporate accountability at
Human Rights Watch says: “Wage increases have consequences for
suppliers’ costs and eat into their profit margins.”
“Brands
themselves are driving low wages with their unfair pricing and
purchasing practices,” she adds. “To preserve their own profits, brands
are putting themselves first.”
