Foysal Uddin Bejoy is a junior at Columbia College of Columbia University. He is on the pre-med track and concentrating in Ethnicity and Race Studies with an individualized focus on race, health, and human rights. Foysal plans to work in underserved communities and fight for equitable and empathetic healthcare. Foysal is a product of the concrete jungle and thus chose to stay in NYC for college and hopes to stay in NYC post-graduation. Some of his hobbies include writing and performing poetry, going on bike rides, hooping in the city, and spending time with his family.
COVID-19 has shook and is shaking the world. The past several months have shown that the virus does not discriminate those it infects. The coronavirus infects all ages, genders, races, religions, and all people. Although the virus is nondiscriminatory in its victims, it does pose a higher risk to certain groups. One of those groups being effected is garment workers in Bangladesh. As a result of COVID-19, there has been a significant drop in demand for apparel. The lack of demand for apparel has impacted the livelihood and survival of garment suppliers and workers. Although businesses are facing financial hurdles, brands have a responsibility to support their suppliers and workers.
Many fashion brands have canceled and postponed production orders and are refusing to pay supplier factories for what they have already produced. Since the start of the pandemic, more than 50% of Bangladeshi suppliers have had production that is in-process or completed canceled. Brands have been canceling orders despite the contractual obligation in place that holds brands accountable to the workers and production. Brands are making use of suspicious and shady force majeure clauses to uphold the violations of contracts.
Following the cancelation of orders, 72.1% of brands were unwilling to pay for raw materials already produced, and 93.1% of brands refused to pay for the production cost of suppliers. Without production payments and support, factories have shutdown, resulting in millions of factory workers without jobs and support. The failure of buyers to pay and uphold their contracts resulted in 58% of factories shutting down either a majority of their operations or all operations.This means roughly 2,800 factories were shut down.
As of March 27, 2020, more than one million workers in Bangladesh have already been fired or furloughed. This is about 25% of the garment industry workforce, which is composed of roughly 4.1 million workers. Of this 4.1 million workers, 80-85% are women.
A Worker Rights Consortium survey showed that 72.4% of furloughed workers were sent home without pay. It also showed that 97.3% of buyers refused to provide severance pay expenses of dismissed workers, violating legal entitlement in Bangladesh. Finally, it calculated that 80.4% of dismissed workers went home without any severance pay.
The neglect has been apparent despite “responsible exit” policies that many brands have signed.
Most garment workers in Bangladesh earn 3,000 taka a month ($30.76 ). This amount is 2,000 takas below the standard living wage of 5,000 takas a month ($55.36). 5,000 takas is the minimum cost of shelter, food, and education for families.
Not only were workers significantly underpaid before COVID-19, but this time the lack of a severance package, furlough pay, support, and employment makes families even more vulnerable.
Remake is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization in the United States that is spearheading the movement against the failures of the fashion industry and globalization. Remake aims to target extreme waste, environmental destruction, illegal wages, and unsafe working conditions that are a result of fast fashion. The nonprofit is composed of millennial and Gen Z women who are determined to change the culture surrounding fast fashion and end fast fashion to heal the planet and support neglected workers.
On its website, Remake has listed and researched companies that are sustainable brands. In addition, these movements have brought attention to the #PayUp campaign and created petitions to hold brands accountable. The #PayUp hashtag was initiated by a labor rights group after the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013. It helped call out brands and retailers to pay full and fair compensation to the workers and families who had become victims to the disaster. You can use Remake and the Worker Rights Consortium trackers and resources to actively track brands that have either pledged or not pledged to #PayUp.
Right now, this campaign is used to hold suppliers and brands accountable for not paying workers during COVID-19. As of this post, 19 brands have agreed to pay for back orders that had been canceled due to the outbreak of coronavirus. According to Remake, these 19 brands have paid back at least $1 billion to Bangladesh and unlocked approximately $22 billion in unpaid orders globally. Please follow Remake’s tracker and the Worker Rights Consortium’s tracker to stay updated and learn more on how to pressure these brands.
How you can help:
- Sign the following petitions:
2. Support movements that target fast fashion and the subsequent neglect of workers and climate change.
3. Donate directly to the fundraisers for garment workers:
Adrian Glasmyre is a double major in Digital Communications and Art at Lebanon Valley College. Since her freshman year, Adrian has been passionate about using her art to raise awareness on fast fashion and human rights. She is proud to create graphics that educate others on these important issues.
