Today in society we can easily walk into a store and pick out many items without any thought or repercussions of the negative side effects. This model, known as fast fashion, comes from the demanding market for cheaper and more affordable products. To keep up with the demands of consumers as well as the competitive market, companies are evolving to offset the cost by sourcing cheap labor. However, this model creates unsafe working conditions. On April 24th, 2013 the collapse of Rana Plaza killed 1,134 and injured more than 2,500 workers. It was an 8 story building that housed 5 different clothing factories. This was the second largest garment factory that produced garments for brands like Zara, Nike, H&M, Walmart, Etc. The day before the collapse an inspector warned that this building was unstable. This incident brought light to the truth about the factories that chose to ignore the working environment and only focused on making a profit.
Workers in a garment factory live off of a minimum wage that can not support their basic needs. When their minimum wage is only a fifth to a half of their living cost it forces workers to work endless hours and unable to say “no” to overtime. These workers are working on average 14-16 hours a day and 7 hours a week (approximately 96 hours a week). Not only are the workers overworked, but they are also often not allowed any breaks. This means they can not go to the bathroom or drink water. Workers are also not allowed to form worker unions as they will become threatened to lose their job. This working environment is so horrendous that the European parliament calls it a form of “slave labor”.
When coronavirus hit the world, many people lost their jobs. Companies were pressured to come out with statements claiming they were supporting/ paying workers during this pandemic. However, the garment workers did not get this protection. When companies buy from manufacturers they often pay after they receive their garment. When the companies were canceling the large orders that the manufacturers already made, it led to many factories to lose a huge portion of their revenue. For example, Bangladesh had reported that approximately $1.5 billion dollars was lost to revenue. This led to more than 1 million workers to lose their jobs. They are left with no social or financial safety net.
What can you do to help?
It is important to keep the companies responsible for their actions. Research where the garment is from and what it took for you to receive that piece of clothing. One can also show support to this movement by giving support to ethical brands that focus on their workers. By asking a brand to change its supply chain model, Working conditions will be forced to change in a positive direction.