Bangladesh Uprising: what next for workers?
When: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm, October 8, 2024
Campaigns: General
Online meeting with speakers:
- Kalpona Akter, director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity and president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation
- Tansy Hoskins, author and campaigner
- Syed Zebal, Clean Clothes Campaign South Asia coordinator
In July mass student protests took off in Bangladesh against a government job quota system favouring children of war veterans. The government shut down universities, and the police and military cracked down on protesters.
Hundreds of people were killed. Thousands were arrested.
But on 5 August, prime minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country.
In the aftermath, an inspiring movement of students and workers took over ensuring services run and the needs of people are met. But all the while, the political and economic situation has remained perilous. The garment industry, Bangladesh’s leading source of income, has suffered from factory closures, and brands are reportedly moving orders to supply countries they see as safer.
Garment workers, already underpaid and subject to repression from the previous government, must not be left to pay the price of this uncertainty.
So what can we do to show solidarity with the movements for justice in Bangladesh? What next for the new government? And how can we amplify workers’ demands?
Join us to hear from labour organisers and community activists on the ground about their struggle and their hope for the future!
This event is organised by Labour Behind the Label and supported by Global Justice Now.
