The Bangladeshi government has declared a period of national mourning
for more than 120 garment workers who died in a fire at a factory that
supplied U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, among others. Joining us from
Bangladesh is labor activist Kalpona Akter, who has visited the factory
and took pictures of the charred clothing labels she found there —
including the Wal-Mart brand, Faded Glory. She started work in garment
factories when she was 12 years old. Now she campaigns for better wages,
recognition of the right to organize, and higher safety standards. We
are also joined by Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights
Consortium, which investigates working conditions in factories around
the world. In comparison to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in
New York City, Nova says, “It really is an extraordinary achievement,
in an ironic sense, that the U.S. apparel industry has managed to
replicate early 20th century conditions that were so brutal and cruel to
workers now again here in 2012 in factories in places like Bangladesh.
It is a shameful record for the U.S. apparel industry … And hopefully
this horror will finally galvanize a global push for genuine reform of
the labor practices of the big brands and retailers. Akter speaks
directly to shoppers, saying, “Consumers can play a big role because
they are the most powerful player in the supply chain.”Video
Source: Democracy Now!
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