Despite major advancements in accountability, workers across the Global South are still struggling to gain real power in the workplace.
“Six years ago, the glamour of the global fashion industry was shattered in the collapse of Rana Plaza. The garment factory building, on the outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh, fell apart on April 24, 2013, killing at least 1,132 people and injuring a further 2,500 or more. The public shock and outrage around the world seemed to force a long overdue reckoning in the global garment manufacturing industry—and almost immediately, workers, labor advocates and consumers began demanding serious changes to the culture of impunity and abuse that had for decades fueled the world’s most famous fashion brands.
But six years on, how much has really changed? A wave of organizing, consumer pressure, and legal action followed in the wake of the Rana Plaza disaster, yet many workers are still being subjected to dehumanizing treatment, poverty wages, and gender-based violence at work. So are garment workers any safer or more empowered in their workplaces? Taking a closer look at three keystone international labor agreements for workers in Indonesia, Honduras, and Bangladesh, shows the promises and pitfalls of the ongoing efforts to build real corporate accountability into global garment supply chains.”
