User:Brynnecf

= Ending Garment Factory Deathtraps 2013 =

Both the Tazreen Factory Fire , and the 2013 Savar Building Collapse in Bangladesh sparked local factory workers to fight for justice. Factory workers, as well as allies from the United States on various college campuses have made the primary focus of their campaign higher wages for workers, and safer working conditions. Through the use of Strategic Nonviolence strategies and ally building, a small group of women were able to accomplish large-scale change.

Background
Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh, is where two of the largest clothing production factories are located. Major garment factories supply jobs to over 4 million people, eighty percent of them being impoverished women and young girls. Rana Plaza, in particular, provides clothing for some of the worlds most prominent clothing companies all over the globe. Some of the most recognizable name brands include Walmart, Adidas, The Gap, and Joe Fresh. Many of these corporations claimed to be unaware of such conditions, although these brands push hard to keep costs of their products as low as possible. At the time of the 2013 collapse, wages were equivalent to that of 37 dollars a month.

Scarce Safety Standards
The Tazreen Factory caught fire on November 24th 2012. The fire killed over 100 workers and injured 300. When the fire began to spread, iron bars that framed the windows blocked those who attempted to escape. The 2013 Rana Plaza Building Collapse resulted in over 1000 deaths, and injured hundreds of others. The Rana Plaza factory had no fire emergency exists or stairways leading to safety outside. Any exit doors that did exist, were locked from the outside. These, and other insufficient safety standards forced many people to jump out of windows, vastly increasing the number of deaths. Employees were also torn between the fear of working in unsafe conditions, or missing out on pay and not being able to provide for their families.

Initial Protests
Immediately following the factory collapse, factory workers initiated protests demanding both higher wages and safer working conditions. Some of these protestors resorted to violent tactics, such as the destruction of property. Following the collapse in the spring of 2013, protestors persisted, and marched outside the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers’ and Exporters’ Association). As these marches included the destruction of property, police responded violently with rubber bullets and tear gas.

Strike
A day long strike, organized by eight factory workers caused a temporary shut down of various factories in the Dhaka area, as there were no workers to produce the clothing. The destruction of vital equipment also contributed to the temporary shut down of garment production. The organizational leader of the workers strike urged for it to be peaceful.

Blockades
A commonly used tactic in nonviolent protests is that of blockades. The blockade occurred on the Dhaka Tangail Highway, one of the major highways in the area. This nonviolent protest occurred due to the fact that the factory owners announced they would only be willing to increase wages by 20%, rather than the initial demand of 170%. The initial blockade was nonviolent, although some protestors still resorted to throwing rocks at other vehicles. Despite some minor violence, this blockade caused the factory owners to accept the wage boards request, and accept any number they were demanding.

Campaigns and Ally Building
On June 7th 2013, Sumi Abedin, a fire survivor, and Kalpona Akter, a child factory worker, organized the “End Death Traps” Campaign. This campaign was organized through the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), a labor rights advocacy group directed by Akter. The campaign goals were to address both the poor working conditions as well as the low wages earned by Bangladeshi factory workers.

The campaign urged citizens of the United States to become active allies in ensuring that American clothing companies address these issues. Student Activists in the States have joined the fight by creating petitions, and pledging their support to the issue of fair labor.

With a clear goal of improving working conditions and increasing wages set in place, the campaign was able to gain momentum.

Results
The use of nonviolent tactics, such as blockades, strikes and campaign building resulted in justice for the Bangladeshi factory workers and survivors of the collapse. Towards the end of 2013, the owner of the Tazreen factory as well as 11 of its employers were charged with homicide for the deaths of the workers in the fire. Two years after the Rana Plaza Collpase, Sohen Rana, the factory owner, was charged with murder for the thousands of deaths that occurred at the hands of his workplace.