Tue, Jan 24, 2017 page6

• Bangladeshi protests shake apparel industry

  • NY Times News Service
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  At first, the Bangladeshi police knocked. Then they tried to kick the door down.

  Protests over low wages had erupted at dozens of garment factories in Bangladesh, one of the top suppliers of clothing for global brands such as H&M and Gap, and the officers had come to question Jahangir Alam, president of a local trade union in Ashulia, a suburb of the capital, Dhaka. They told his wife he would be back within a few hours.

  That was a month ago.

  Instead, Alam has sat in a jail cell so dark he could not see his own hands, his wife said, adding that they had spoken briefly when she finally tracked him down to a Dhaka court.

  Alam is one of at least 14 labor advocates and workers who have been detained since the unrest began in December last year, according to arrest records.

  The demonstrations disrupted work at factories that supply clothing to global fashion companies such as Inditex of Spain, owner of the Zara brand, and PVH, which owns the Tommy Hilfiger brand.

  The unrest has led to the suspension or firing of about 1,500 workers, many of whom took part in the protests, the police said.

  The police have accused the advocates of inciting vandalism and other crimes, and several factories have pressed charges against many of their workers.

  However, labor rights groups say the government is trying to scare workers into silence by detaining innocent people.

  They say the detentions, and the looming risk of more arrests, are the biggest setback for workers since the collapse of Rana Plaza, a building that housed garment factories, where more than 1,100 people died in 2013.

  That tragedy, one of the worst industrial disasters in history, exposed major safety hazards at factories in Bangladesh, which churns out a steady stream of low-cost goods. It also prompted some of the world’s biggest brands to push for better conditions for the workers who make their clothes.

  By some measures, conditions have improved. However, the brands now say the arrests and firings could undermine the progress they have made.

  In letters to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and other officials, retailers urged the government to take action to protect workers, including addressing wage issues that had led to the protests. The minimum wage in Bangladesh is equivalent to US$0.32 per hour.

  However, they stopped short of threatening further action.

  “Such situations damage the industry’s reputation and confidence levels, which we, together with the government and social partners, are all working so hard to bolster,” wrote Rob Wayss, executive director of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

  The accord, a coalition of retailers, is dedicated to improving safety for the garment workers.

  In a separate letter, Gap said it was troubled by the recent events, and urged officials to ensure that no one was targeted “solely because of any association with a trade union or other group.”

  Hasina’s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment.

  Bangladesh exports billions of dollars’ worth of clothes each year, making it the world’s second-largest exporter of ready-made garments after China.

  However, its factories are efficient for some of the same reasons that they have been deadly: Overcrowded buildings, limited oversight and a government that has historically repressed workers’ efforts to organize and fight for better conditions.

  In the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse, retailers formed two coalitions dedicated to improving the lives of workers: the accord, led by H&M, and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which includes Gap and Wal-Mart.

  The groups have created safety standards and mechanisms to enforce them, although the accord, with a legally binding arbitration provision, is largely seen as the stronger of the two. The alliance has no such clause, but it can impose financial penalties and expel members that violate its terms.

  Both groups point to progress, such as the installation of fire doors and regular safety inspections.

  However, as international attention has waned in the years since Rana Plaza, worker rights groups have expressed concern that the gains could be lost.

  Siddiqur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, a trade association that represents factory owners, said factories had also come under pressure.

  Costs have risen 17.5 percent annually for the past two years, he said, even as global clothing prices have decreased.

  While global retail brands had called on Bangladeshi factories to improve safety standards and wages, they had resisted paying higher prices to help compensate for the increased costs, he said, adding that fewer than 1,500 employees had been fired, and that some had returned to work.

  Gap and H&M said that they supported a regular wage review mechanism to ensure stability in the future and that they were monitoring the situation closely.

  However, labor advocates say the global companies should be doing more.
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