The violence that has erupted across the Bangladeshi garment industry over the past week is "another damning indictment of the state of workers' conditions in the industry," ETI Director Dan Rees said today (3 July 2009).
Thousands of garment workers were involved in demonstrations and clashes with the police in the Dhaka area over the weekend and into this week in a protest over their pay and conditions. Hundreds of workers were reported injured and several factories were forced to close.
The protests coincided with the release of a report by the Bangladesh Chief Inspector of Factories which states that 122 out of 825 garment factories had not paid workers on time between January and May this year.
Around 20 million people in Bangladesh depend on the garment sector for their livelihood. The minimum monthly wage of a garment worker is currently around US$24 a month. With recent hikes in food prices, wages have fallen sharply in real terms.
Said Rees: "How many more wake up calls does the industry need before it sleep-walks its way to disaster? Improving wages and conditions for workers is both urgent and business critical for everyone in the industry.
"We do see ETI member companies working with individual suppliers to make improvements. But it is clear that the rule of law does not apply in the industry. To raise standards across the board will require the Bangladeshi garment industry and the Government to take a much stronger lead in enforcing the rule of law across the industry.
"UK retailers are a vital part of this equation. Those that source from Bangladesh must take urgent steps to ensure they are trading in a way that supports a living wage and decent terms and conditions for workers."