According to Labour Behind the Label, a nonprofit advocating workers’ rights, 80 percent of garment workers in Bangladesh say they have experienced or witnessed sexual violence and harassment on the job. Last year, garment workers staged widespread protests over a minimum wage that is currently 8,000 taka, or $94 per month, for the lowest of seven skill grades. “Cheap clothes are not cheap” said Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. On a recent visit, wires dangled from the ceilings, and dark, filthy passageways were loaded with rubbish and stacks of merchandise. “Bangladesh workers outside factories tracked by safety groups don’t have a voice at all,” said Peter McAllister, the executive director of the Ethical Trading Initiative, based in London.

Source: International New York Times March 01, 2020 17:48 UTC