Bangladesh garment workers, students fight back
By
Larry Hales
Published Aug 29, 2010 10:58 PM
In recent weeks, Bangladeshi garment workers have been waging a militant
struggle. Police have arrested more than 20 of their labor leaders. The police
claim the arrests are for “violent” clashes in July by garment
workers who were rallying for a living wage.
When tens of thousands of garment workers demonstrated in July in the capital
city of Dakar, it is reported that police shot rubber bullets at them, used
tear gas and batons, and created an atmosphere of terror. Those arrested were
reported to have been tortured into giving false confessions and making false
accusations against key labor leaders for allegedly instigating violence.
The workers and their allies rebelled in response to the police terror and the
horrible working conditions in the garment industry.
There are more than 3 million garment workers in Bangladesh; more than 70
percent are women. The Ready Made Garment (RMG) sector is the largest
industrial sector in the country, and it is steadily growing. The low-paid
garment workers, who were making 1,662 taka ($24) monthly, have been demanding
a minimum wage increase to 5,000 taka ($72) per month.
A government-appointed wage board had raised the wages to only 3,000 taka ($43)
per month, which won’t go into effect until November. The minimum wage of
$24 per month, which had not been changed since 2006, was less than $1 a day;
the slated increase is less than $2 a day.
The International Labor Rights Forum and the Clean Clothes Campaign said that
the recent arrests “were part of a strategy by the government of
Bangladesh to deal with recent riots among garment workers by scapegoating
peaceful worker advocates rather than addressing the true underlying cause of
such turmoil: the country’s abysmal working conditions.” Human
Rights Watch stressed that the arrests are part of a campaign of
intimidation.
The garment workers produce clothing for very large retail corporations, such
as Wal-Mart, which sells items produced by the RMG. Wal-Mart is the
world’s largest retailer with more than 2 million global workers. Forbes
Global 2000, which ranks the top 2,000 companies, reports that Wal-Mart is the
largest public corporation. Its 2009 revenue was $405 billion.
Wal-Mart is known for both paying low wages and forcing down wages across
entire industries. The company advertises itself as being “customer
friendly” because it keeps its prices so low. Behind Wal-Mart’s
commercials, showing elderly people brought out of retirement as store
greeters, this viciously anti-union company forces workers to have open
schedules. The corporation has closed stores where the workers voted in unions.
It has been sued for discrimination and for violating the American with
Disabilities Act and more. Corporate officials have denied workers overtime
pay, health care benefits and full-time work hours.
Wal-Mart saves its customers money by brutally exploiting its workforce,
preventing them from living better, while the corporation owners make record
profits.
In addition to all the workers at Wal-Mart there are the millions who are not
seen and are part of the global supply chain. There are 60,000 supplier
companies in the U.S., China, Singapore, Bangladesh, Mexico and other
countries. Wal-Mart forces the suppliers to cut costs and sets the prices of
items that influence whole industries.
RMG also provides clothing for H&M, a Swedish clothing corporation that has
2,000 stores in 37 countries. It is the fourth largest exporter of apparel and
the second largest exporter of cotton T-shirts to Europe. (Daily Star)
Students fight tuition hikes
Students have also been waging tremendous struggles in Dhaka, and in
Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh.
On July 26, thousands of students in Dhaka protested a value-added tax of 4.5
percent on the tuition of private university students — who make up 23
percent of students there. (www.emancipating-education-for-all.org). When the
police began to attack students, they rebelled and blocked streets. Their
valiant action pushed back and defeated the tuition tax.
On the same day, hundreds of students at Chittagong University protested
tuition increases. The students announced a strike for the following day. The
movement grew to thousands of demonstrators from many student associations. The
actions have rallied people throughout Chittagong and this has become a
movement of “students against a hike in tuition fees.” Students
blocked streets for days on end and the university has been shut down at least
until September.
The state brutally moved to quell the student uprising with police wielding
batons and shields, and using tear gas and rubber bullets. Hundreds of students
were injured and arrested. However, by beating back the student movement, the
police repression only emboldened the students, who have vowed to continue
fighting.
The action of students in Bangladesh, much like the student movement in Puerto
Rico, has drawn support from around the world and has energized the student
movement globally. Students in the U.S. are planning for the next National Day
of Action to Defend Public Education, and the international student movement is
planning a Global Wave of Action for Education with protests set to take place
from October through November. Students have set up a Facebook page at
http://tinyurl.com/34c3zs2.
Articles copyright 1995-2012 Workers World.
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