abusesaffiliationarrow-downarrow-leftarrow-rightarrow-upattack-typeburgerchevron-downchevron-leftchevron-rightchevron-upClock iconclosedeletedevelopment-povertydiscriminationdollardownloademailenvironmentexternal-linkfacebookfiltergenderglobegroupshealthC4067174-3DD9-4B9E-AD64-284FDAAE6338@1xinformation-outlineinformationinstagraminvestment-trade-globalisationissueslabourlanguagesShapeCombined Shapeline, chart, up, arrow, graphLinkedInlocationmap-pinminusnewsorganisationotheroverviewpluspreviewArtboard 185profilerefreshIconnewssearchsecurityPathStock downStock steadyStock uptagticktooltiptwitteruniversalityweb

Esta página no está disponible en Español y está siendo mostrada en English

Historia

8 Ene 2017

Bangladesh: Rights' groups urge brands to take action to free detained workers, companies respond

On December 11, 2016, workers at the Windy Apparel factory went on a strike following news of death of one of its employees after managers refused her repeated requests for time off. The factory supplies a number of well know high street brands including H&M, Inditex (known for the brand Zara), Esprit, Tesco, Arcadia, S Oliver, and Debenhams. The un-unionised workers at the factory approached managers seeking a tripling of minimum wages, set three years ago at $67 per month, along with a list of 15 other demands. After they were rebuffed, the workers walked out and in subsequent days employees from about 20 other factories in the area joined in. Trade union activists and leaders working in Ashulia say that the walk out by Windy workers and the subsequent stoppages at other factories took them by surprise. The BGMEA announced they would close 55 Ashulia-based factories under a provision of the Bangladesh labour law which allows an employer to close a factory “in the event of an illegal strike”. Whilst employers said that this was to stop vandalism, trade unionists saw this as a way to break the strike and stop engaging with the workers’ grievances. On the 21st December seven local labor leaders were detained following a meeting convened by the Industrial police. The labour leaders and activist are still in jails. The labour rights' groups calls upon brands to urge the factories in their supply chain to withdraw all criminal complaints related to the protests in Ashulia, and reinstate them. 

Twenty major international apparel retailers have issued a statement warning Prime Minister Hasina that industrial unrest in Bangladesh may damage the country’s reputation as a reliable sourcing market. They called on the government to form a new wage board for the garment workers. At the same time, the giant retailers said they “do not condone illegal activities by workers, labor groups.”

Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited C&A, H&M, Gap, VF Corp and Inditex to respond to a joint letter by NGOs regarding this situation, and particularly to these two questions:

1. Has the company required the factories in their supply chain to withdraw all criminal complaints related to the protests in Ashulia?

2. Has the company required their supply chains to reinstate all factory workers suspended or fired related to the Ashulia protests?

Responses from C&A, Gap, H&M & Inditex included below, we will update this page with future responses.

Respuestas de la empresa

Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) Ver respuesta

Línea del tiempo

Información de privacidad

Este sitio usa cookies y otras tecnologías de almacenamiento web. Puede configurar sus preferencias de privacidad más adelante. Los cambios se aplicarán de inmediato.

Para más información sobre el uso que hacemos del almacenamiento web, por favor consulte nuestra Política de Cookies y Uso de Datos

Strictly necessary storage

ON
OFF

Necessary storage enables core site functionality. This site cannot function without it, so it can only be disabled by changing settings in your browser.

Cookies analíticas

ON
OFF

Cuando accede a nuestro sitio web, utilizamos Google Analytics para recopilar información sobre su visita. La aceptación de esta cookie nos permitirá conocer más detalles sobre su visita y mejorar la forma en que mostramos la información. Toda la información analítica es anónima y no la utilizamos para identificarle. Google proporciona un complemento de inhabilitación de Google Analytics para todos los navegadores populares.

Cookies promocionales

ON
OFF

Compartimos noticias y actualizaciones sobre empresas y derechos humanos a través de plataformas de terceros, incluidas las redes sociales y los motores de búsqueda. Estas cookies nos ayudan a comprender el rendimiento de estas promociones.

Sus preferencias de privacidad en este sitio

Este sitio usa cookies y otras tecnologías de almacenamiento web para mejorar su experiencia, mas allá de la funcionalidad básica necesaria.