Bangladesh’s garment workers endure repression and injustice: Amnesty report

Dhaka/New Delhi: On the sombre 11th anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, Amnesty International released a distressing report detailing ongoing injustices faced by garment workers in Bangladesh. The collapse, which claimed over 1,100 lives, remains emblematic of the systemic corporate neglect pervasive in the nation's most lucrative sector.

Amnesty's briefing, issued on International Workers' Day, underscores a grim reality where labour rights are systematically curtailed, and corporate wrongdoers operate with impunity. The day marks over a decade since the Rana Plaza tragedy and another horrific incident at Tazreen Fashions, where 112 workers died due to inadequate safety measures. These events are stark reminders of the human cost of Bangladesh's garment industry, prompting calls for stringent enforcement of international health and safety standards.

Despite the filing of compensation claims by the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) and other NGOs against both state authorities and private entities, justice remains elusive.“We call on the government to remove the limits on compensation for occupational injuries under labour law, ensure those affected receive adequate compensation, and introduce a national data repository on workplace deaths and injuries to ensure transparency and fill the current gaps in official data," stated Nadia Rahman, Amnesty International’s Deputy Regional Director for South Asia. She emphasized that rights-based compensation for occupational injuries is far from being realized due to restrictive labour laws and non-compliance issues.

The report highlights the dire conditions under which garment workers operate, characterized by poverty wages, harassment, and violent repression. In June 2023, Shahidul Islam, a union leader, was murdered while advocating for unpaid wages. His death is among the many instances of violence faced by workers campaigning for better pay and conditions.

In the last year, at least 35 criminal cases were initiated against garment workers participating in protests, affecting tens of thousands. These cases often serve as a means to intimidate and silence dissent within the ranks of labour, making it risky for workers to seek justice or claim compensation for injuries. The crackdown extends to union leaders and activists, many of whom have been detained under dubious charges, further stifling advocacy efforts.

The use of excessive force by police during wage-related protests has been particularly alarming. In one documented incident, officers fired over 200 shotgun rounds to disperse protestors, a clear violation of international human rights standards which dictate that force should only be used as a last resort.

Amnesty's findings are a clarion call to the Bangladeshi government to uphold labour rights and provide adequate redress to victims of workplace abuses. The organization urges the adoption of International Labour Organization conventions on occupational health and safety and calls for the elimination of compensation caps under local labour laws.