[ad_1]
“We want the brands to know that they are pressured by the factory to say good words when they talk to workers. We want the brands to know the reality on the ground.
A garment worker at a Huabo Times factory in Myanmar made the plea in March, after more than a year under the country’s military dictatorship, which began a coup on February 1, 2021. Harassment and abuse, because of targets that factories can’t even take time to use the toilet.
A few months ago, the world watched in horror as Myanmar executed four pro-democracy activists in a show of government repression 18 months into its illegal occupation. Power. The killings come after a brutal and often deadly crackdown on those who oppose the military regime.
It is a struggle in which garment workers have played a leading role. Since the beginning of the coup, at least 55 trade unionists have been killed and more than 300 trade union leaders and members have been arrested. Almost all union leaders were forced into hiding, and those still working in the factories were silenced because of their real results. It is now impossible to clearly see the reality on the ground because of the severe restrictions on civil liberties and reporting under the military regime.
Since the military takeover, the London-based Business and Human Rights Resource Center has tracked a sharp increase in human rights abuses against labor and garment workers in Myanmar. Together with domestic and foreign partners and partners, we have tracked more than 100 violations of rights against no less than 60,800 garment workers in just 18 months. There is no question that widespread and systematic labor abuses are occurring in the fashion supply chain in Myanmar. These lawsuits have been filed against factories that supply popular fashion brands such as H&M, GUESS, Inditex (Zara & Bershka), Next and Primark.
Our records paint a sad picture. More than half were wage theft (55 cases), while other common violations included unfair work rates and forced overtime (35 cases), attacks on freedom of association (31 cases), and gender-based violence and harassment (28 cases). We have documented the killing of seven workers by the military and security forces, as well as the arbitrary arrest and detention of at least 29 workers.
Many of the violations involved violent suppression of union leaders and workers. On April 20 this year, two female union activists were brutally attacked and arrested by 6 soldiers against the military regime in Yangon. On their way back home, the soldiers beat the two women before taking them and the taxi driver to an interrogation station.
In another incident a year ago, six workers from Xing Jia Footwear, including a female union leader, were shot dead by the army and police after they gathered outside the factory to demand unpaid wages. Several workers have been arrested and three have been sentenced to three years in prison by a military court, which rights groups say are baseless charges.
Many cases of abuse are said to have been committed directly by the brands’ factory suppliers or by the military in collusion with the suppliers. Workers and unions suspect 15 percent of the registered cases of business and military cooperation, although the number may be much higher, as the clothing factory management and the armed forces appear to be linked. The defense forces raided factories to arrest workers suspected of taking part in anti-coup protests, and labor unions reported that factories shared the names of union leaders with the junta. The soldiers have been conducting house-to-house searches at workplaces, hostels and homes. As garment workers are at the forefront of the country’s civil disobedience movement demanding an end to Myanmar’s dictatorship and the restoration of democracy, these are likely to be the only alleged abuses.
In light of this ongoing, and often violent, repression, many local and international organizations are calling for international brands to withdraw from Myanmar until democracy is restored.
There are certain risks associated with brands leaving Myanmar. The country’s garment sector employs about 700,000 people. If orders dry up and factories close, these workers, 90 percent of whom are women, will lose their jobs. Many are vulnerable to conflict and economic instability. According to Save the Children, families in Myanmar have lost more than half of their income on average since February 2021, and a third of households are relying on help from others to survive.
However, some labor groups argue that the remaining brands are prioritizing profits over human rights. Garment workers are now earning less than $2 a day – far less than they need to survive. Factories have been fighting hard-won labor rights and protection unions for the past twenty years.
The Resource Center invited 33 brands to respond to the allegations. Of the 23 brands that responded, the majority (16) highlighted their policy commitment to protecting the human rights of workers in the supply chain, including human rights due diligence. Despite these promises, most of the violations in the brands’ supply chains are still unresolved, highlighting the gap between the company’s commitment and the reality in the factories. This raises questions as to whether it is possible for brands to exercise effective caution in the current situation.
Importantly, 17 brands said they have launched their own investigation into the allegations. And seven brands – including C&A, H&M, Lidl, Next and Primark – have outlined the steps they are taking to ensure redress for affected workers, a crucial step in making any corporate commitment to human rights a reality. But more than a third (nine) of brands cited findings from social audits or interviews with suppliers to refute allegations, without any direct engagement with unions or workers, which is critical to effective employee engagement. It also looks at the future of the sector in Myanmar.
But the fact is that as the dictatorship progresses, the situation of labor rights and human rights is bound to worsen.
“We have worked hard to protect labor and workers’ rights,” said Kaying Zar, president of the Myanmar Federation of Industrial Workers. “But… we see that the military dictatorship is not disappearing… It is important to contribute to its immediate and lasting defeat… It is our moral duty to make difficult decisions that will shorten the suffering of our people.”
These conditions raise tough questions for brands and their investors who continue to source from Myanmar, to do so responsibly and ensure the protection of workers in their supply chains. At the very least, they should take due care of the ongoing, improved human rights that operations in conflict zones require. But it is increasingly difficult for brands to gain real control over conditions in their suppliers’ factories and ensure compliance with their own and international standards and obligations.
What is clear today is that brands need to wake up to the harsh reality that continuing business as usual is not an option in Myanmar. And if due diligence is not possible or leads to the conclusion that workers’ rights cannot be protected, a responsible exit strategy – in consultation with unions and workers – should be considered. Today, it is time for brands and the world to stand up to those who have proven the profitability of many clothing companies, whose clothes are hanging in our closets today.
[ad_2]
Source link
