Garment Workers news and archive

Argentine textile employment, a collateral victim of the opening to imports

Buenos Aires - At a clothing factory in Buenos Aires, dozens of workers watch with concern as the garments Imported sewing machines are gaining ground against idle sewing machines, a postcard from the crisis in the Argentine textile industry in the face of open-market policies commercial of the government of Javier Milei. At Confecciones Seman,...

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Bangladesh clears charges against 48,000 garment workers amid calls for reform

Bangladesh’s interim government has withdrawn criminal charges against more than 48,000 garment workers, a sweeping decision that workers’ rights groups have hailed as a landmark moment for the country’s embattled apparel industry. The cases, many filed during wage protests in late 2023 that turned violent, had long been criticised as tools of...

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Labour Behind the Label raises concerns for impact US tariffs pose on garment workers

UK non-profit Labour Behind the Label is raising concerns about the potential negative impact that the recently announced US tariffs are set to have on Asian countries such as Vietnam, Cambodia, and Sri Lanka and their garment workers. The "Liberation Day" tariffs, announced by the US administration last Wednesday, included tariffs on key...

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Survivors of the earthquake in Türkiye now receive compensation

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) Türkiye, a non-governmental organisation that protects workers' rights in the global supply chain, reports in a press release that a number of workers who survived the devastating 2023 earthquake in southeastern Turkey and Syria, which killed over 50,000 people, have finally been compensated by their employer....

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Study: How does automation affect workers in Bangladesh’s RMG sector?

Bangladesh is the second largest exporter of readymade garments (RMGs) after China, contributing 10.35 percent of the national GDP and 84.58 percent of the country's exports in fiscal year 2023. The country is also home to 61 of the top 100 highest-rated LEED-certified factories in the world and 229 LEED-certified green factories....

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How to comply with the CSRD? Frontrunner Schijvens Corporate Fashion shares the tips for SME companies

Schijvens Corporate Fashion is a leader in sustainability and has taken a pioneering role in preparing for the CSRD. Although the reporting requirement is not yet in effect for SMEs, the Brabant-based family business, which falls into this category, has already provided sustainability information with its latest annual financial statement...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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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...

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Business|Interview

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...