A new report showed that most leather factory employees at the Hemayetpur industrial zone are getting completely screwed over on pay and safety standards. The Bangladesh Tannery Workers Union and Solidarity Center dropped these findings after checking out 121 facilities and talking to 225 people who work there.
Almost 80 percent of the workforce is making less than what the government says they should earn, and about two-thirds are stuck with temporary contracts instead of permanent positions. Workers complained about pulling 10-plus-hour shifts without getting proper overtime rates, dealing with terrible ventilation, and never receiving any training on how to stay safe around hazardous materials. Women at these plants said they barely get maternity benefits, and clean bathroom access is basically nonexistent.
AKM Nasim from the Solidarity Center pointed out that enforcement agencies clearly don't care about labor protections since the problems followed these factories after they moved from Hazaribagh. Unionized shops apparently do better at following basic compliance rules, but most workers are too scared to complain about mistreatment because they might lose their jobs.
Almost 80 percent of the workforce is making less than what the government says they should earn, and about two-thirds are stuck with temporary contracts instead of permanent positions. Workers complained about pulling 10-plus-hour shifts without getting proper overtime rates, dealing with terrible ventilation, and never receiving any training on how to stay safe around hazardous materials. Women at these plants said they barely get maternity benefits, and clean bathroom access is basically nonexistent.
AKM Nasim from the Solidarity Center pointed out that enforcement agencies clearly don't care about labor protections since the problems followed these factories after they moved from Hazaribagh. Unionized shops apparently do better at following basic compliance rules, but most workers are too scared to complain about mistreatment because they might lose their jobs.
