SUPPORT TAL WORKERS IN BANGLADESH
(Labor Notes, July 1996)
Titas Apparels Ltd. closed its factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh on December 30, leaving 350 workers, 86% of them women, jobless. TAL claimed the closing was a result of falling profits. Workers thought it a response to the strike they began on December 27.
The National Garment Workers Federation won recognition last July and was negotiating to improve abysmal working conditions. The average work week was 80 hours. Wages were often a month late. Overcrowding, poor ventilation, and insuffcient supplies threatened safety.
In February, demonstrations were held in nine countries selling TAL goods, including Spain, Italy, and England. In New York activists targeted Ganis Brothers. Ganis has since canceled its TAL orders.
The NGWF is demanding the reinstatement of the workers and the formal recognition of the right to organize. Letters can be sent to: Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, 79 Kawran Bazar, Dhaka, Bangladesh; fax 880/2-813951. And: Bangladesh Mission to the UN, 821 UN Plaza, New York, NY 1D017; fax 212/932-4038.
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