There's no question that this building collapse is tragic, but for garment workers, it's not surprising.
I began working in
Bangladesh's garment industry at the age of 12, making just $3 a month. I
went to work because my father had a stroke and the family needed money
to cover basic living expenses. I worked 23 days in a row, sleeping on
the shop floor, taking showers in the factory restroom, drinking unsafe
water and being slapped by the supervisor.
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By the time I was a young
woman working at a factory that made clothing for a big U.S. retailer, I
knew the time had come for change.
The factory owed my
coworkers and me overtime wages, but it wanted to pay us only half of
what we had earned, making it even harder for us to support our
families. So I helped lead a strike to hold our manager accountable.
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| Kalpona Akter |
I was fired and
blacklisted, but my work was far from over. I later learned labor law,
English and computer skills so that I could help win justice for garment
workers. Today I lead a worker education and advocacy nonprofit that
counts tens of thousands of garment workers as members.
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The sad reality is that
tragedies like this have become business as usual, advanced by some of
the most highly profitable American and international corporations in
the world.
Last November, 112 workers lost their lives when the Tazreen Fashions factory, which produced garments sold by Wal-mart, Sears
and other retailers, caught fire. Much like New York's infamous
Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire more than 100 years ago, the workers at
Tazreen were trapped inside, with many jumping from upper story windows
to try to save themselves. The death toll at Bangladeshi factories
stands at nearly 1,000 since 2006, based on estimates by the Bangladeshi
government and an advocacy organization.
In the case of these two
recent tragedies, there is plenty of blame to go around -- from the
Bangladeshi government for looking the other way at safety violations,
to the incredibly dangerous circumstances workers face when they try to
unionize, to the pressure factory owners and managers are under to turn
out high product volume at low prices no matter what.
It is the responsibility
of the government of Bangladesh to make a sustained, concerted effort
to rectify the dire situation. Strict, well-enforced factory codes and
clear support for workers' rights are paramount to protecting
Bangladesh's garment workforce.
But more tragedies can
be prevented only if the multinational corporations and retailers whose
goods are produced at these factories are willing to stand up and do
what is right.
A coalition of labor and
non-governmental organizations in Bangladesh, Europe and the United
States has developed a protocol for an innovative two-year inspection
and renovation program to finally make these factories safe -- the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement.
In addition to
facilitating government-supported employer-labor relations and stringent
oversight of factory safety management, this protocol focuses on the
responsibility of brand owners and retailers to support safety
standards.
If Wal-mart and its
fellow retailers that count on Bangladeshi labor demand change, we can
be sure it will happen. As the protocol states, these corporations must
verify that the factories they use comply with applicable safety
standards. They must ensure that their pricing of garments makes it
feasible for the factories to stick to standards. No longer should a
Bangladeshi factory manager feel forced to pressure his employees to
work in a deadly environment to meet a corporation's bottom line.
As for the tragedies
that have already taken place, these brands should contribute to worker
compensation funds for victims and victims' families, including those in
the fire at Tazreen. To date, Wal-mart and Sears have refused to contribute. Both companies maintain that subcontractors had used the factory without their authorization, so they are not responsible. I single out Walmart because its past actions have been painfully inadequate. Walmart has refused to sign onto the protocol designed to enhance fire safety and improve factory structures, saying it is putting its own standards in place, which are perfectly adequate. Yet those are Band-Aid measures that are woefully insufficient.
Last fall, Wal-mart refused to admit its connection to the Tazreen factory until my colleagues and I went there the day after the fire and photographed products with Wal-mart's labels in the wreckage.
We must no longer tolerate this willful ignorance on the part of
multinational corporations about where their goods are produced.
It's high time that
companies like Wal-mart, The Gap, and others step up and demand the
safety of Bangladesh's garment workers. Too many Bangladeshi workers
live and work in fear for their lives each day. The fire safety protocol
is a critical first step to making real change, and I urge Wal-mart to
become a leader in the fight to save Bangladeshi lives.
Source: http://edition.cnn.com
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