Bangladesh

Wage battles erupt in the Bangladeshi garment sector – and unions can’t contain them

Submitted by Red Marriott on Jan 20 2019 15:12

The past two weeks have seen mass walkouts and wildcat strikes by thousands of garment workers. After five years the industry’s minimum wage structure has been adjusted but workers have rejected the proposed new wage levels.
The protests began after the first announcement by the government Wage Board of the new wage levels in September. By December there was a large movement of factory walk outs and road blockades as workers rejected the deal. These struggles reignited in the past two weeks before a general drift back to work in recent days.

Tea workers: Poorest of the poor, in Bangladesh

Submitted by akmshihab on May 21 2018 06:54

On May 20, 1921, around 30,000 tea labourers left their workplace in Sylhet region and started walking towards Chandpur Meghna Ghat. When they reached there, the then Assamese police opened fire on the protesters. Many of the workers were killed, and their bodies were thrown into the river. The rest fled.
Marking the incident, Tea Workers Day will be observed tomorrow like every year.

Sylhet tea-garden workers strike for higher wages

Submitted by akmshihab on Apr 27 2018 06:04

Workers of 22 tea gardens in Sylhet district today went on a work abstention dem

Workers of twenty two tea gardens in Sylhet district today went on a work abstention demanding 16 months’ unpaid wages and a wage increase.

History: Peasant Movements in Bangladesh

Submitted by akmshihab on Apr 1 2018 06:11

A history of peasant movements in Bangladesh.

The government's satisfaction, the hardships of the farmers!

The election manifesto in the current government, 'food for everyone' will be ensured, By 2013, Bangladesh will be made self-reliant in food again. Increasing subsidy in agricultural equipments, making available agricultural inputs and increasing the coverage of agriculture credit and simplifying the receipt. Irrigation will be expanded and affordable, adequate measures will be taken to preserve the crop. Provision of fair prices for crops and all agricultural produce will be ensured.

Life and struggle of women's tea workers in Bangladesh

Talking about the life and struggle of the women workers of Bangladesh, discussion of the current situation is not enough. If their past history is not picked up, the history of their life struggle will be called partly. It is also relevant and necessary to highlight the history and struggle of their arrival in Bangladesh.

The workers demand the minimum wages to be sixteen thousand taka

Garment Workers 'Rights Movement urges Ashulia to stop' suppression of oppression 'on garment workers and Tk 16 thousand for workers' minimum wages. This demand was made from a solidarity rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (Note: TK. 16,000= $200 per month only, that means per day only about 6 U$D.)

Environmental movement: save Sundarbans, Bangladesh

For the first time in history, Bangladesh is experiencing a mass movement to save a forest – the largest mangrove in the world. The government of Bangladesh and India are going to build a 1320 MW coal fired power plant in Rampal, besides Passur river, just 14 km away from the Sundarbans.

Smashing H&M in South Africa: not the first attack on the garment supply chain (and not the last either!)

Submitted by libcom on Jan 15 2018 23:42

A H&M that's seen better days, South Africa.

Hand-wringing over the trashing of a few H&M branches in South Africa ignores the often highly militant struggles of the workers in H&M's supply chain (and others like it), themselves often women of colour and one of the most combative sections of the international working class.