In Remake’s May Community Call, Rebecca Blake Thompson speaks with Nazma Akter from the Awaj Foundation to learn more about garment worker conditions in Bangladesh during Covid-19. Also on this call, Remake’s founder, Ayesha Barenblat, shares updates on the #PayUp campaign and the Garment Worker Center Emergency Relief Fund in Los Angeles.
“After the pandemic, work is my dream. We want fair prices and fair wages,” said Akter on the call, referring to the impact caused by brands stopping payments to suppliers as coronavirus led to constricted retail sales. “The brands should be fair. We want a different world. We need hope and action. We don’t want charity, we want work. We want fair jobs. We made your clothes, but we didn’t get our full salary.”
Nazma Akter is the Founder and Executive Director of Awaj Foundation. She has been working to improve the rights of women working in the garment sector in Bangladesh for over three decades after beginning to work in garment factories at the age of 11.
#PayUp Campaign
- Over $600 million of brand money in Bangladesh has been unlocked for suppliers as a result of the #PayUp campaign.
- $7.5 billion of brand money is estimated to have been unlocked globally by the #PayUp campaign.
GWC Emergency Relief Fund
- Over $32,000 has been raised for GWC’s Emergency Relief Fund.
- $17,000 of this fund came from crowdsourcing.
- $20,000 of this fund has already been distributed to garment makers living in Los Angeles.
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Image: Awaj Foundation
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