garment workers news and archive

Who makes our clothes? Fashion Production Explained

Ever wondered who actually makes your clothes and how fashion's supply chain impacts workers' lives? This deep dive unpacks how fashion production works and explores what’s needed for meaningful change in the industry. FashionUnited interviewed Kim van der Weerd, a former factory manager with a background in human rights, who advocates for a...

Business

Minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers to increase

The minimum wage for Cambodian garment workers will increase to 208 dollars per month by 2025. This is an increase of four dollars from 2024, when it was 204 dollars per month. The agreement comes after months of talks between the Cambodian government, led by prime minister Samdech Thipadei, and the National Council on Minimum Wage (NCMW), which...

Business

New website to portray “the real story of Bangladesh garment industry”

Recent events in Bangladesh - repeated unrest due to wage disputes and the most recent government overthrow - have left many buyers wondering if production will be able to continue, what the latest developments mean for the country long-term and if they threaten the global apparel supply chain. Speculation is rife and facts are often hard to...

Fashion

Bangladesh apparel industry resumes operations following unrest

Bangladesh has begun to lift restrictions imposed following last week's violent protests, allowing its crucial garment industry to resume operations. The move comes as the country faces mounting economic pressures and concerns over political stability. The government's decision to partially ease a nationwide curfew on July 24 permitted the...

BusinessFeatured

Why is it so hard to enforce a living wage?

In Germany, trade union Verdi is calling for a minimum wage of 13.50 euros (about 14.60 US dollars/11.50 British pounds) per hour in the retail sector - figures that garment workers in the Global South can only dream of. Why is it so difficult to introduce living wages in the textile industry and how could this be achieved? Marian von Rappard...

Business|Interview Featured

Eleven years after Rana Plaza, where is the fashion industry in terms of transparency?

Eleven years ago today, on 24th April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1,100 garment workers and injuring more than 2,500, many of them severely. All of those deaths and injuries could have been prevented had the five garment factories housed in the building evacuated on time like the other...

Fashion Featured

Timeline: 10 years of Fashion Revolution

The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh, which housed garment factories, shook the industry - more than 1,100 workers lost their lives and around 2,500 were injured, many of them gravely. The accident, one of the deadliest disasters in the history of industrial manufacturing, shed light on an area that normally remains in...

What is the upcoming Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (CSDDD) legislation? What does it mean for the fashion industry, and what can you do to prepare?

Good news from Brussel. ‘A victory for people and the environment.’ Lara Wolters on X, tweet from March 15, 2024: “Due Diligence passed in Council! People and planet prevailed over cynicism. Thanks so much to the Belgian Presidency for all its efforts!” On Friday, March 15, the EU voted in favor of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence...

Fashion

Garment workers among the lowest-paid industrial workers globally

A decade after global fashion brands committed to raising garment workers' wages to a living wage, progress remains slow. In Bangladesh, where around 600,000 people work for H&M, workers earned an average of 119 dollars per month in the first half of 2023, below the 194 dollars living-wage benchmark, reported the Wall Street Journal. Advocates...

Business

Oxfam poll: Australian consumers want fashion brands to pay workers living wage

According to a recent poll by charity retailer Oxfam Australia, consumers do not trust the claims that Australian fashion brands are making in regards to the treatment of overseas garment workers in their supply chains. This comes as no surprise with the industry recording a staggering two billion dollars in expected profits on one hand and...

People

US government urges Bangladesh to reconsider minimum wage increase

The United States has urged Bangladesh to reconsider its recent decision on the minimum wage and ensure the protection of workers' rights following the death of a woman during garment labour protests. A government-appointed panel increased factory wages by 56.25 percent to 12,500 taka ( approximately 113 dollars) per month, but striking workers...

Business

What the new minimum wage means for garment workers in Bangladesh

On Tuesday, 8 November 2023, the Bangladeshi government announced the new minimum wage for garment workers: from December, they will receive 12,500 taka (around 114 US dollars) instead of the previous 8,000 taka (68 US dollars). At first glance, the increase seems to be okay, as it is up by 56 percent. However, if one compares the monthly...