fashion: Inclusive economic growth and decent work for all

Goal 8: Inclusive economic growth and decent work for all

an interview with Nazma Akter, trade unionist, founder of the AWAJ Foundation and former child worker, discusses the challenges of being a worker in the fashion supply chain and why freedom of association and collective bargaining are essential for an improved industry for all.

"I started garment factory work when I was eleven years old with my mum and me in 1968, because my family are very poor and I really needed to support them. I have one sister, three brothers, two grandmother and work with my parents and especially my father and It's wasn't sufficient. That is why I went at a very early age to start work in the garment factory. That is my journey to support my family. It's very hard work, a 14 hour day, seven days a week and no breaks. So a not a note of employment, or contract, on time payment and maternity issues. Many things are absent, so it was very hard and difficult job what I faced. But this is also very difficult for me to explain to you because it's very very hard but I had no option but having to work in this area. When I was 12 years old I lost my job because that I reliased the increase of the salary was not going to happen in my factory and people like demonstration, so they strike, so they (the company) decided a number of workers had to lose their jobs because the company doesn't want to change the salary. And then they put pressure for employees to sign the White Paper, to work without salary increment, and many of them (workers) agree, because you know it is a poor country, they need job, family and health. We have a lot of politics here, cultrual, family, religious."

"it's ultra political here So it's very difficult for all the female workers at that time to raise a voice.So that we had a problem that when my co-worker, my senior worker, they lost their job because they didn't sign that white paper for those conditions to work, the company one. So I didn't do it and they also fired me too, at age of 12. But when I was 14 or 15 years old, then I started my organizing and my labour movement, when I became a little bit older, because my factory has another problem they (garmet workers) were beaten by muscle men and then they lost workers. They (factories) were blacklisted and a lot of false cases, many areas when we are facing and that time we raised our boys. So it was like 15 or 16 years old I started signing up for organising and trade union movement. The working conditions in Bangladesh, as you know, our wage is the very lowest in the world in Bangladesh. Our wage is like 95 dollars (a month), which has recently increased which will be effective in December. So it's still our wages are very low. So if the workers wage is very low, there is no respect. that is the thing that destroys our women workers, they then have malnutrition problem, daycare center based feeding rights, they have a lot of challenges. Their families are not very highly educated because of the money they earn and they have family either they have children in the countryside or their parents are living so they need to send them money. So these wages are not sufficient. So the malnutrition is a big challenge. As is sanitation, drinking water and living conditions are very poor and all malnutrition related diseases affect all kind of young girls. They are coming from rural to urban and they have a single life, so many cases they have a husband or they have sexual relations and he doesn't know how to protect her. So unexpected babies, single mothers, also when the women get married, men are teaching also them that I'm not getting married or having baby, then leave. Then after that they have wife or children. So single mother also one of the big challenges in Bangladesh maybe more than 40 percent woman are single mothers. Also, when they raise their voice at the workplace they end up with different kinds of abuse like bullying, and even sometimes sexual abuse"

The big challenge is that the majority of the labour force is female and the decision making of the boss (men), that you say is very important to gender-based violence issues and that is why you need to change because the boss are sometimes the way they're bullying, affecting that behaviour and many bad apples, the bad way they are treated. Because of the labour force, and the bosses are men. So that is why it is very important for the gender-based violence issues is one of the important issues. With this challenge it's not only Bangladesh, it is a whole worldwide and whole supply chain issue, because I don't know how much the fashion brands are interested in the union. How much interested are the companies and the governments? You know this is the question because no company is interested to be union in the factory even though it will be more benefited, more accountable, more transparency, women workers can raise their voice and then to seek to get that in the same day or something you know so people are trying to use as a slip, so that is why it is difficult to get the union list and organising because nobody is interested because people are nowadays more thinking about the charity or corporate social responsibility but no one asked to keep the legal fundamental rights or legally binding issues so that is the things people are not really effected an act the human rights and work Act issues. Rather they are more interested on the charity or CSR issues. So that's the area we need to change and that's where we'll find results. Union is the main tools where the workers can establish their fundamental rights and their benefits. So it is very important for the female workers that they have a union, if they have their own voice, especially at the factory level, if they have negotiation capacity and power, and if they resolve their conflict. It is easy to resolve and it is very important for the workers rights and also the productivity, you know, the companies should listen to the workers and the workers should listen to company, that is why union is very important. And if there is a CBA, Collective bargaining agreement, which is legal binding and legally allow workers access to more benefits, more things beyond the labour law.

So that is why it's very important if it is (union and collective bargaining) really functionable with the female workers. Our foundation is a grassroots workers organization, where we are trying to educate the workers about their rights and responsibility, all related to the labor law, leadership negotiations, conflict, occupational health and safety, reproductive rights, nutrition, sanitation, drinking water, maternal health, HIV, AIDS, STDs, all kinds of things, also child growth. Also, we are trying to look at the gender-based violence issues that come with these things. And also, we are trying to establish gender-based violence and anti-harassment committee in the workplaces. And we are trying to establish organizing and trying to form a unions.  a place where the workers can get their legal advice and support and we have legal suport from the garment workers and other workers, we have healthcare services for the garment workers and their children, we have daycare center for garment worker's children. We have primary school for them and also we do a lot of maternity protection and all kinds of things. And we are trying to help the union to know how they have to sign their collective bargaining agreement and how they have to submit and how to negotiate these other issues. And also we have like migrant workers rights. We are also working for the leather workers, a different sector.

"We are trying to work on this area and we mainly focus on the especially women workers. Also recently, we have established a workers forum in Bangladesh where the mainly garments workers and female can participate in the trade union movement to 60 percent. So all the plant level union is where we have assisted, is more than 60 percent of female leadership. And these are the trying to embody this movement in the leaders. And also the next phase, is how to lobby and advocacy for the national issue and international issue so we can raise the female garment workers within their country and also globally. there is some things we are trying to work on the whole supply chain issues and transparency and fair workers rights issues also. People need to basic fundamental issues for daily life, food, housing, clothing, health, education. Which is very important. So that is why, also the children at daycare center and maternity protection, these are very important issues. And if they are not getting proper living conditions and how they have to mitigate that and how they have to survive. You know if women get behind with this it's automatically they will get more respect within the family within the society. They can take their own decision whatever they wanted to do for their children, e.g. better education. What about they want to contribute, they can freely move they can join in the union. They can join everything, because if they have money they have less fear, if they don't have money they have fear because its two days until they're getting food. What will they eat tomorrow. That is the frustration that they are scared of. If we really wanted to make a change, they need more money, they need freedom of association and they need respect.

The living wage is what we want to acheve. That is why the principle companies, like brands, they should be accountable and they should give the fair prices to their workers, because the buyer nowadays are asking for better working conditions and more compliance. But after every season they are reducing the price. So how can that work? That is the things that multinational and fast fashion have to be responsible and accountable for those issues. And as long as they're not changing then the living wage is not working because I know everywhere how they are treating our workers from the brand, from the supplier, and also the government."

How does it work if that international support and corporation are not with them, because it's not a one country issues, it is a whole country issues. And in many cases, also, if the salary is increasing, business would be moved to other countries. It's a threat. So that threat has to be ensured from the principal brand, principle company like fast fashion should ensure those kind of things. The consumer has to know and they have to be tought how to do responsible buying, because every after season they got sales, they got discount, and a company like fast fashon brand, retailer or multinational, they are always getting the profit. And also the consumer they are also getting very good sale and very cheap price, getting the excellent things. But don't think where these things are coming. That is somebodies blood and sweat, theyhave to be reminded. Nothing is free. Nothing is cheap. So somebody is paying. Who are they? They are the worker, they're the female, they are the youth, they're the young, the children who are producing these goods.

"they have to learn how to buy fairly and they make the multinational accountable, consumer should also pay a better way, a multinational and retailer fashion brand also have to pay for the proper price for the the clothes we make. If we are not getting equal pay, equal voices, and if we are not getting proper wages, how will it work out? Because we are talking about the decent work, the SDG goal number eight. So what is the decent work and economical growth that means the productivity as well as living with freedom of association, collective bargaining. So those are the area to be ensured, it will be very challenging for that by 2030. That is why they have to foucs on work, especially in the whole supply chain, tier 1, 2 and 3 also and also where the formal and informal workers are related to the garment sector. Those are the areas, as long as thats the focus, it will not work and then to say it is not only the garment sector, every sector also need to be at this. If we want to achieve the SDGs by 2030, there will be need to be change all over the world especially the European Union and American government all kind of country who are producing goods from Bangladesh for like America, Canada, Australia, UK, Germany, everywhere you know there will be singers. So as long as they're not here, they're not transparent. Even our manufacturing government it will not work so that is why everybody, even the union, the civil society, all people need to work together and know how to better productivity "