INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Workers and activists have been campaigning to push Levi’s, one of the world’s largest clothing brands, to sign on to an international
accord for workers’ health and safety in Bangladesh and Pakistan.On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, which
housed five garment clothing factories, collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring approximately 2,500, in the deadliest disaster in the
garment industry’s history.In the wake of the incident, fashion brands signed on to an international accord that legally bound them to pay
for safety inspections in the Bangladeshi garment industry, which is the second largest exporter of clothing in the world, behind China
But since 2013, numerous top clothing brands have held out on signing on to the accord and subsequent extensions
In 2021, an expanded international accord was developed to include more safety and worker health provisions beyond fire, electrical and
structural inspections and repairs of factories
It covers garment factories in Pakistan as well as Bangladesh.The worker health and safety provisions include covering complaints of
excessive overtime, lack of maternity leave, regular breaks, access to clean water and bathrooms, and workplace accidents such as heat
It also provides a worker complaint mechanism where employees can confidentially report violations and bind signatories to supporting the
complaint process.The garment sector accounts for 84% of Bangladesh’s exports, yet workers still face a dearth of safety protections
Photograph: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Rex/ShutterstockOver 170 fashion brands have signed on to the accord, including Adidas,
American Eagle, Fruit of the Loom, H-M, Zara, Hugo Boss, Puma, Primark, and PVH which owns the brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.The
US-based non-profit Remake, in partnership with the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, which represents 70,000 female garment workers in
Bangladesh, the Labour Education Foundation in Pakistan, the US-based Service Employees International Union affiliate Workers United and
Netherlands-based Clean Clothes Campaign, which includes 235 worker organizations, have formed a partnership to pressure Levi’s to sign on
to the accord.Private auditing programs ..
[have] not been effective.“The newly expanded international accord looks beyond building safety
So it is really a lifeline and a way for workers to share any wellbeing or workplace concerns,” said Ayesha Barenblat, founder and CEO of
Remake.She explained workers had singled out Levi’s due to its sizable presence in Pakistan and Bangladesh, which has more than 20
“We abjectly push back on the alleged effectiveness of Levi’s own safety program
The reason being that garment workers themselves have said – through Covid-19 [and] against the backdrop of the economic slowdown –
their lives, and their wellbeing have simply been threatened and they do not have a direct line to the brands,” Barenblat said.She added:
“The accord gives workers an equal seat at the table
Private auditing programs do not do that and they have simply, in the last 30 years, not been effective.”Bangladeshi garment workers
complain about inadequate safety measures and a lack of access to water and medical care
Photograph: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Rex/ShutterstockAs part of the campaign, activists have deliveredletters, sent hundreds of
emails to the Levi’s board of directors, and held actions at Levi’s stores earlier this month in Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington DC,
London, Delhi, Bengaluru, Dhaka and several other cities.In testimonies provided anonymously for fear of retaliation, workers in Bangladesh
who make clothing for Levi’s raised issues such as heat exhaustion, abuse from managers and forced overtime.“We do not have much in
We are not given machine guards
We do not have access to clean or cold water
It is so hot but we still have to drink hot water
People often faint due to the heat
We have no access to medical care,” said a machine operator who makes clothing for Levi’s and other brands.They added: “We are made to
If there is no overtime available we are forced to work from one to one and a half hours unpaid
Our supervisors and managers treat us very badly
If we protest or push back, we are told we will be fired.”The groups have also accused Levi’s of free-riding off the accord by using
factories that are covered under the accord without signing on to it, as brands compensate for the safety inspections and oversight of the
factories through the accord.Levi’s denied and disputed all complaints from the campaign and allegations of worker safety and health
issues, citing several internal programs and efforts
A Levi’s spokesperson characterized the campaign as a social media engagement ploy.A spokesperson for Levi’s said in an email: “We
agree with the intent and the spirit of the international accord and applaud the progress it has made
But it is not the only way to support workers in Bangladesh or anywhere else
We believe our programs, with their checks and balances, help us go further and give us greater agility to implement new learnings and
expand our systems in other countries (which we are actively doing).”They added: “Recognizing that there is always room for improvement,
we continue to augment and expand our programs, and when we hear of facilities that are not where they should be or workers reporting
grievances, we investigate those instances, mandate that our suppliers address any issues that are found, and track their progress closely
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
