By Lia Mulligan
Two Bangladeshi sweatshop workers spoke at the University about the abuse and working conditions they endure every day.
The University’s Labor Studies Program and Center for the Study of Labor and Democracy presented the lecture, “The Human Face Behind the Global Economy,” on Oct. 26.
“[The Labor Studies Dept.] wanted to give students information [about this topic] and put a human face to the issue that has become a huge point in the [presidential] debates,” Dr. Gregory DeFreitas, director of the University’s Labor Studies program, said.
“We’re sure that most Americans would be horrified if they knew of the abuse and terribly low wages the workers receive from some of the richest companies in the world,” DeFreitas said.
The workers, Robina Akther and Maksuda, detailed their daily schedule and retold stories of abuse.
Akther said she worked up to 15 hours a day making only 7 cents per hour. She also told the story of her first time in Wal-Mart while here in America. When she went through the clothing department, she found clothing she distinctly remembered making.
Maksuda said if the workers didn’t meet their quota, which was up to 150 items per hour, they were beaten.
She also recounted her experience of being abused while pregnant. When she was seven months pregnant she paused from working and was subsequently kicked in her stomach by her supervisor. This incident resulted in her daughter being born with a bruise on her forehead.
The lecture was part of a four-week national tour hosted by the National Labor Committee (NLC). The purpose of the tour was to add humanity to foreign sweatshops by forcing people to address the issue.
“So many people identify with these girls,” Barbara Briggs, senior associate of NLC, said. “High school kids say, ‘this could be me.'”
“If we can protect the product, why can’t we protect the human being?” Charles Kernaghan, director of the NLC, said.
Sk Nazma, president of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity (BCWS), was also present at the lecture. She is working to improve the treatment of garment workers in Bangladesh sweatshops.
“[The workers need] these jobs desperately, but we want them to be treated like humans,” Nazma said.
Kernaghan spoke in detail about the specific hardships workers must endure. Currently, there are 1.8 million sweatshop workers in Bangladesh, 85 percent of which are women. They supply the United States with approximately 926 million garments each year.
There are currently 1.8 million workers in sweatshops in Bangladesh who work over 15 overs for little pay. (Images courtesyThe National Labor Committee)