GFWU fights for worker’s rights in TN garment units

After the death of over a 1,000 garment factory workers in

a building collapse in Bangladesh a month ago, the Garment and Fashion Workers Union (GFWU), affiliated to the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI) has initiated a dialogue with international workers rights groups Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and Workers Rights Consortium (WRC) to help secure the rights of workers in Tamil Nadu, including getting fair minimum wages.

CCC and WRC campaigned to get international retail brands to ensure safety in units that supplied garments to Europe and elsewhere from Bangladesh, post the Rana Plaza tragedy in April this year. Many garment manufacturing companies in Chennai still pay low wages compared to spiralling cost of living. The union has now appealed to the state government to fix Rs 10,000 as minimum monthly wage for a garment factory worker. A 16-member delegation of Penn Thozhilalargal Sangam (PTS) and GFWU submitted a memorandum to Minister of Labour and Employment S T Chellapandian in March on several issues.

According to CCC’s official website, world’s leading retail labels have “committed” to an accord on fire and building safety in Bangladesh. The Accord covers more than 1,000 Bangladeshi garment factories. The alliance of CCC and leading global unions claims that it has “changed the rules of the game for workers in Bangladesh”. “We welcome the decision of the companies who have signed the Accord for acting responsibly in the light of the Rana Plaza tragedy. We now have the major global household brands on board.”