ZAKIR HOSSAIN CHOWDHURY
It’s begin, however Bangladesh’s $40 billion garment trade nonetheless has a protracted solution to go. The shift to environmentalism on the manufacturing facility degree hasn’t translated to improved outcomes for the sector’s 4.4 million employees.
Wage theft and delayed funds are widespread. The minimal wage, some 12,500 taka monthly (about $113), is way beneath the $200 proposed by unions—which has meant frequent strikes and protests over pay, additional time, and job safety. “Since Rana Plaza, constructing security and manufacturing facility situations have improved, however the mindset stays unchanged,” says A.Ok.M. Ashraf Uddin, govt director of the Bangladesh Labour Basis, a nonprofit labor rights group. “Revenue nonetheless comes first, and employees’ freedom of speech is but to be realized.”
ZAKIR HOSSAIN CHOWDHURY
Within the worst case, greener trade practices may truly exacerbate inequality. Smaller factories dominate the sector, they usually battle to afford upgrades. However with out these upgrades, companies may discover themselves excluded from sure markets. A kind of is the European Union, which plans to require firms to deal with human rights and environmental issues in provide chains beginning in 2027. A cleaner Buriganga River mends only a small nook of an unlimited tapestry of want.
Zakir Hossain Chowdhury is a visible journalist primarily based in Bangladesh.
