Our support for the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS)
Aotearoa Solidarity Network (ASN) is an organisation set up to provide funds and support to the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), an organisation helping to advance the rights of garment workers in Bangladesh.
Strikes and Riots after another Labour Organiser Disappears
16 May 2012
Textile workers in Bangladesh have returned to work after days of strikes and violent rioting forced 200 factories to shut down over the disappearance of a trade union leader. More
Hillary Clinton Calls for Independent Investigation in to Aminul Islam's Murder
9 may 2012
Citing the recent murder of labour organiser Aminul Islam, she said, “Islam's killing has to be investigated and the perpetrators must be brought to book.”
“It would give a wrong message to the Americans if the government fails to probe into the murder and find out the culprits.” More
Bangladesh Government Finally Makes Some Movement on Aminul Islam's Murder
8 May 2012
The government has set up a monitoring cell to oversee investigation of the murder of Aminul Islam, a garment sector trade union leader, said home secretary CQK Mushtaq Ahmed on Wednesday.
‘An additional secretary of the home ministry is leading the cell,’ he told New Age on Wednesday. More
Alarming Rise in Disappearances
30 April 2012
The Bangladesh government should immediately order an independent and impartial investigation into the growing number of cases where opposition members and political activists have vanished without trace, Human Rights Watch said today. Human Rights Watch recently expressed concern over the April 4 abduction and subsequent death of Aminul Islam, a prominent labor rights activist. More
Letter from ASN to Bangladesh Prime Minister
18 April 2012
Urgent Action - Investigate Aminul's Murder
14 April 2012
Aminul Islam was found murdered a few days ago. His body bore signs of brutal torture. All evidence points to the likelihood of action by Bangladeshi security forces in retaliation for his support of garment workers' right to organize. Join us in demanding a thorough and impartial investigation. More
BCWS Organiser tortured and murdered
14 April 2012
On Wednesday of last week, after working during the day at BCWS's office in Savar, Aminul went to evening prayers. While there, he noticed a police van parked outside. Fearing harassment or arrest he called a colleague to say that they should close the BCWS office for the day. Aminul then returned to his home. Later in the evening, he received a call from a worker urgently seeking assistance. He left home to meet the worker and was never heard from again. More
Historic agreement to help end fatal factory fires
1 April 2012
Phillips Van Heusen Corporation (PVH) who owns both Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein has signed a historic agreement to protect Bangladeshi garment workers from dangerous working conditions. However, for the program to go ahead a further three companies must follow PVH’s lead and sign the memorandum. More
Call on other brands to come on board and sign the agreement
Stolen Wages and Death Sentences
1 April 2012
In this article from March laste year, Kalpona Akter explains how she is facing a potential death sentence or life in prison on criminal charges filed against her and several other organizers with the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), which has fought to improve pay and conditions in garment factories. 1 year later and many of the charges still remain. More
Race to the Bottom - Olympic sportswear companies’ exploitation of Bangladeshi workers
7 March 2012
Read this excellent report from War on Want regarding the exploitation of Bangladeshi Garment Workers by Nike, Adidas and Puma. More
Garment Workers Demand Footbridge After Third Fatal Accident in Two Weeks
26 January 2012
The death of a female garment worker in a hit-and-run accident in Barabari area under Gazipur Sadar upazila on Thursday sparked violent protests with angry garment workers blocking the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for more than two and a half hours from 8:00am. The agitating workers demanded construction of a footbridge over the highway in the area. More
The garment industry in Bangladesh – from a woman’s perspective
15 December 2011
The most detrimental, and most tabooised, social impact of women’s employment in the export-oriented garment industry of Bangladesh is sexual violence and abuse, which the female workers at the bottom of the assembly-line work-chains are a particular high-risk group. Dhaka Police reports have shown that whereas, female garment workers account for only two to three percent of the total population of women in the metropolitan area of Dhaka, whereas they account for 11 percent of rape cases. More
Locked Factory Doors Cause Deaths (Again) - Workers Demand Compensation
5 December 2011
Labour rights activists on Sunday demanded a compensation of Taka 5 lakh each for the families of the two women garment workers who were killed in a stampede in a garment factory at Chankharpool in the city on Saturday.
At a rally, they also demanded proper treatment of the workers who were injured in the stampede triggered by panic after a boiler explosion at the Euro Tex Limited. More
Hunger Strike Achieves owed Wages
11 October 2011
Several hundred garment workers conducted a hunger strike in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on 29 September, demanding payment of outstanding wages and allowances of workers at five garment factories. Read more
A Struggle From Dawn to Dusk
Workers toil from dawn to dusk on minimum wage,” said Taslima Akhter, a Bangladeshi photographer who has spent more than four years capturing the workers’ movement for "The life and struggle of garment workers". Read more and see the photos here
From Child Worker to Activist
Kalpana Aktar is one woman who has fought back. She started working in the garment industry at the age of 12, and over the years has been blacklisted, arrested and even charged with terrorism because of her attempts to help Bangladeshi garment workers. For South Asia Wired, she relates the story of her journey from child worker to activist. more
Walmart: Stand Up Against Torture of Labor Leaders
As the largest buyer of Bangladeshi garments, Walmart must ensure Bangladeshi garment workers do not need to fear retaliation for speaking up for their rights. Send a message to Walmart to stand up against the imprisonment and torture of labor advocates. more
Justice for Labor Rights Advocates in Bangladesh
The charges against Kalpona and Babul remain. more
Trial against Bangladeshi labour rights advocates approaches
30 May 2011
In the summer of 2010 multiple factory owners supplying major garment retailers such as Walmart, H&M and Carrefour, filed fabricated criminal charges against workers and labour leaders following huge worker protests for better wages. All cases consist of a range of charges with punishments ranging from three months to ten years to life in prison. Some of the charges are punishable by death. more
J.C. Penney: Don’t break your promise to families of workers who died making your clothes
On December 14, 2010, 30 Bangladeshi factory workers were burned alive when an easily preventable fire broke out in the unsafe, multi-story sweatshop in which they were working. Thanks to a pressure campaign, seven of the eight brands doing business with the factory signed a commitment to ensure fair compensation for the injured workers and surviving family members. Now J.C. Penney has shamefully broken this pledge. more
Bangladeshi Ha-Meem Group Garment Factory Goes Up in Smoke and Flames
This past Tuesday, December 14, yet another garment factory exploded in flames just outside of Dhaka, Bangladesh. The blazing inferno claimed the lives of at least 29 workers and injured hundreds of others. more
Fair wages and safe workplaces in Bangladesh
The Maquila Solidarity Network, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF) have regularly called attention to the need for structural measures to end the consistent and ongoing worker rights violations in the Bangladeshi garment industry. more
Labour and human rights groups condemn arrest of labour leaders
20 August 2010
Labour- and human-rights organisations in Europe, the U.S., and Canada are condemning the arrest late Thursday night of leaders of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS) and calling for their immediate release. Ms. Kalpona Akter and Mr. Babul Ahkter were arrested at 2:00 am in Dhaka by twenty armed police. more
“No More Fires, No More Locked Exits, No More Garment Workers Deaths" campaign launched
May 11, 2010
The National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) of Bangladesh launched a new campaign this month entitled "No More Fires, No More Locked Exits, No More Garment Workers Deaths." more