Tagged: solidarity
Solidarity Wins – Conditions at Hang Kei factory improved!
☆ auf Deutsch ☆
A major victory was achieved at Hang Kei Myanmar Garment Factory Ltd following an internationally coordinated effort by grassroot labour unions.
Key data:
- Factory owned by Hang Kei Garment Co. Ltd with its head office in Hong Kong / a subsidiary company of Koon Ngai Garment Factory Ltd based in Hong Kong as well.
- The factory is located in the Yangon industrial area with more than 1000 workers.
- Products: lingerie
- Brands: Hunkemöller (Hunkemöller International B.V. based in Hilversum, Netherlands and Worcestershire, UK) | La Vie En Rose (owned by Boutique La Vie en Rose Inc. based in Montreal, Canada) | My Specials (belongs to Women’Secret based in Madrid, Spain)
For many months Hang Kei Myanmar Garment Factory has made negative headlines. At the beginning of April 2025 we received news of positive changes inside the factory.
Chronology of events:
March 8th, 2025 (Day of Feminist Struggles): Internationally coordinated actions inside factories of Myanmar and outside shops of companies placing orders at those factories. Main theme “Menstrual products for all who need them!”.
Among others Hunkemöller was confronted with the demands put together by factory workers on the ground. The factory management of Hang Kei Myanmar Garment Factory Ltd was reached out to internationally as well.
March 17th, 2025: An audit team (from Hunkemöller), incl. doctors, visits the factory and also speaks to the workers.
April 7th, 2025: Factory management reacts and presents the changes applied following the six demands put forward by the workers. May Su Lwin works at Hang Kei factory in Yangon and reports about the recent changes:
May 8th, 2025: An audit team visits the factory again to check, if the changes are adopted correctly.
June 1st, 2025: May Su Lwin confirmed at an online meeting between FGWM and ICL Working Group Asia that the structural changes are still being maintained and the situation for the many workers has improved noticeably.
March/April 2026: During several meetings with a delegation of the International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) comrades of FGWM confirmed that the positive changes at Hang Kei factory still persist. They even radiate positively into other factories where management is trying to act preemptively.
We do acknowledge the positive changes inside the factory and appreciate the efforts by Hunkemöller and the factory management. At the same time we emphasize that we keep monitoring the developments on the ground closely and are always ready to escalate the struggle again.
Menstrual products for all who need them!
Global solidarity is our weapon!
The following grassroot labour organisations were involved in this coordination:
☆ Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM)
☆ International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) Working Group Asia
☆ Syndicates and individual members of the Free Workers’ Union (FAU) in various cities
contact: asia@icl-cit.org
Ein bedeutender Erfolg wurde in der Fabrik der Hang Kei Myanmar Garment Factory Ltd. erzielt, nachdem sich auf internationaler Ebene Basisgewerkschaften zusammengetan hatten.
Eckdaten:
- Fabrik im Besitz von Hang Kei Garment Co. Ltd mit Hauptsitz in Hongkong / eine Tochtergesellschaft von Koon Ngai Garment Factory Ltd, ebenfalls mit Sitz in Hongkong.
- Die Fabrik befindet sich im Industriegebiet von Yangon und beschäftigt mehr als 1000 Arbeiter*innen.
- Produkte: Dessous/ Unterwäsche
- Marken: Hunkemöller (Hunkemöller International B.V. mit Sitz in Hilversum, Niederlande, und Worcestershire, Großbritannien) | La Vie En Rose (im Besitz von Boutique La Vie en Rose Inc. mit Sitz in Montreal, Kanada) | My Specials (gehört zu Women’Secret mit Sitz in Madrid, Spanien)
Seit vielen Monaten sorgt die Bekleidungsfabrik Hang Kei Myanmar für negative Schlagzeilen. Anfang April 2025 erhielten wir jedoch Nachrichten über positive Veränderungen innerhalb der Fabrik.
Was ist passiert?
08. März 2025 (Feministischer Kampftag): International koordinierte Aktionen in Fabriken in Myanmar und vor Filialen von Unternehmen, die Aufträge an diese Fabriken vergeben. Schwerpunkt: „Menstruationsprodukte für alle, die sie brauchen!“.
Unter anderem wurde Hunkemöller mit den Forderungen konfrontiert, die von den Fabrikarbeiter*innen vor Ort zusammengetragen wurden. Auch an das Fabrikmanagement der Hang Kei Myanmar Garment Factory Ltd wurde international herangetreten.
17. März 2025: Eine Prüfungskommission (von Hunkemöller), darunter auch Ärzt*innen, besucht die Fabrik und spricht mit den Arbeiter*innen.
07. April 2025: Das Management der Fabrik reagiert und stellt die Änderungen vor, die sie aufgrund der sechs Forderungen der Belegschaft umsetzt. May Su Lwin arbeitet in der Hang Kei-Fabrik in Yangon und berichtet darüber, was konkret verändert wurde:
08. Mai 2025: Die Prüfungskommission besucht die Fabrik erneut, um festzustellen, ob die Änderungen weiterhin bestand haben und vom Management umgesetzt werden.
01. Juni 2025: May Su Lwin bestätigt beim Online-Treffen zwischen FGWM und ICL Arbeitsgruppe Asien, dass die strukturellen Veränderungen weiterhin aufrecht erhalten werden und sich die Situation für die vielen Arbeiter*innen merklich verbessert hat.
März/April 2026: Bei mehreren Treffen mit einer Delegation der International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) bestätigten Genoss*innen der FGWM, dass die positiven Veränderungen in der Fabrik in Hang Kei weiterhin Bestand haben. Sie wirken sich sogar positiv auf die Zustände in anderen Fabriken aus, in denen das Management versucht, präventiv zu handeln.
Wir nehmen die positiven Veränderungen in der Fabrik zur Kenntnis und schätzen die Bemühungen von Hunkemöller sowie der Fabrikleitung. Gleichzeitig betonen wir, dass wir die Entwicklungen vor Ort weiterhin genau beobachten und jederzeit bereit sind, den Kampf erneut zu eskalieren.
Menstruationsprodukte für alle, die sie brauchen!
Globale Solidarität ist unsere Waffe!
Die folgenden Basisgewerkschaften waren an dieser Koordinierung beteiligt:
☆ Federation of General Workers Myanmar (FGWM)
☆ International Confederation of Labour (ICL-CIT) Arbeitsgruppe Asien
☆ Syndikate und einzelne Mitglieder der Freien Arbeiter*innen-Union (FAU) in verschiedenen Städten
Kontakt: asia@icl-cit.org
Call for International Solidarity from Bangladesh: Garment Workers fight for increase in Minimum Wage
☆ Latest NEWS ☆ MATERIALS ☆ CONTACT ☆ auf Deutsch ☆
UPDATE (Dec. 9th, 2023): Following the massive wave of strikes and protests in various industrial areas and the announcements of the new minimum wage of 12 500 BDT by the wage board, things calmed down inside the factories and on the streets for now. Labour unions reject this new minimum wage and will keep fighting for higher wages. Currently labour union activists face repression (terminations, lawsuits, physical attacks) and keep acting from the underground. Once the garment workers received their first payslips with the new wage structure and after the general elections on January 7th 2024, the GWTUC expects garment workers to re-activate the wage movement.
Updates will be published here and inside the NEWS section. Stay tuned.
For the past few months garment workers in various parts of Bangladesh took to the streets in their struggle for a proper increase in basic minimum wage. Up until December 2023 garment workers received a minimum wage of 8 000 BDT (73 USD) per month, which was set in 2018. Labour unions demand an increase to at least 23 000 BDT, the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC) fights for a minimum wage of 25 000 BDT. On November 7th, following a week of intense strikes, blockades and street protests, the wage board announced an increase of the minimum wage to 12 500 BDT, effective from December 2023. Unions reject this decision and announced to continue the fight for a proper living wage. Workers – especially with families – are unable to survive with a monthly income of 12 500 BDT (113 USD) only.
Consequently the GWTUC calls on unions and fellow workers worldwide to support the fighting garment workers in their struggle. Confrontations inside the factories and on the streets are intense. Five workers already lost their lives, some of whom were shot dead by police.
Check out the call below or download the pdf.
Not only factory owners but also the brands sourcing from those factories are major profiteers of the workers’ sweat and labour. The products end up in stores worldwide. Therefore: Let’s globalise this fight, take it to the streets and confront the brands!
Note: Some brands released a statement directed at the president of Bangladesh asking for the conflict to be resolved as soon as possible. But statements are not enough. The retailers must ensure that the factories they source from pay a minimum wage of 25 000 BDT!
This NEWS section provides updates on the movement continuously.
CONTACT
To announce or share reports on your actions, drop a line at: garmentworkerssolidarity@globalmayday.net | globalmayday@lists.riseup.net (mailing list)
MATERIALS
Download the leaflet (A5) as a pdf.
Chronology: Struggle at Dragon Sweater
1994: Dragon Sweater and Spinning Limited incorporated as a private limited company in Bangladesh. This is the period when many of the current experienced workers entered the workforce.
2012: Dragon Sweater becomes a public limited company with shareholders.
February/ March 2020: Dragon Group management in contravention of Bangladesh Labor Law, illegally lays off majority of workers, citing ‘economic losses’ from the COVID-19 pandemic as a reason. Management terminated the workers’ without compensating years of back pay and benefits.
Sidenote: Vast majority of workers were organized in the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC) by then. One might suppose that union busting was a driving force behind the owners decsion to lay-off almost everyone.
March 2020: The Dragon Sweater workers start demonstrating at the factory in Malibag and in front of National Press Club to press home their demands.
June 2020: The textile workers lay siege to the Labor Ministry in support of their demands. There is also a siege of the Prime Ministers office in conjunction with workers from other factories agitating for their wages and benefits.
Dragon Sweater management reaches out to ICL and Global May Day. ICL and GWTUC responded.
June/ July 2020: FAU Hamburg, FAU Freiburg as well as IWW Bristol, IWW Hamburg and other international comrades hold solidarity demonstrations in support of the Dragon workers. Also in Dhaka workers rallied again.
July 2020: New Yorker contacts FAU Hamburg and GWTUC saying that under these circumstances they will blacklist Dragon Sweater. BUT we are still waiting for a public statement!
No proper feedback from Walmart nor Lidl (yet).
Labor union FOB (Brazil) joins the movement.
ICL working group Asia together with GWTUC and IWW Ireland decide to call for a Global Month of Solidarity with workers at Dragon Sweater! The idea of #UnitedAgainstTheDragon is born.
August 2020: The ongoing movement pressures the factory owners to resume negotiations. Workers representatives, owners, and the government sit for ongoing tripartite negotiations. However, the owners still continue to stall proceedings and deny workers their legally-owed arrears.
Textile workers thank comrades on the international level for their solidarity efforts.
At the end of August workers rally and block the Labor Ministry.
August/September 2020: The Global Month of Solidarity ends with actions in over 30 cities worldwide.
September 2020: Media in Bangladesh starts to report about the solidarity movement on the international level.
In Dhaka workers attempt to lay siege to residency of factory owner.
In mid-September negotiations break down and workers take to the streets and lay siege to the Labor Ministry once again.
October 2020: Hired goons attack protesting workers; 12 workers had to be treated in hospital. In reaction a solidarity statement was published.
On October 12th an agreement was signed by the workers, factory owners and government representatives! In includes that the factory owners pay 50 percent of the total amount owed to the workers in four installments on four different days. The first installment is scheduled to be paid on November 7th. As part of the deal workers also agreed to not stage any more protests related to this conflict in Dhaka and around the world. To uphold the pressure an open letter was sent to Dragon Sweater/Dragon Group nonetheless.
November 2020: The factory owners break the agreement. They didn’t pay. Therefore the textile workers begin to rally again. A week later they blocked the Labor Ministry for several hours with the factory owner inside.
The GWTUC attempts to support hundreds of affected textile workers with a daily warm meal and basic medical supplies. For them to be able to continue those efforts a fundraising campaign was initiated aiming to collect 20 000€ by the end of the year.
So called Black Friday was used as a day of action in solidarity with the textile workers and against excessive consumerism. Most actions took place at New Yorker stores. Reports from 11 cities were submitted.
Dezember 2020: After months of protests and international solidarity actions the owners of two big garment factories finally pay owed wages and severance payments.
January 2021: A letter of acknowledgement was sent by the GWTUC.
More than 18 000€ were collected during the fundraising campaign (more than 9 000€ through the gofundme platform and another 9 000€ directly on the FAU Hamburg bank account). To reach the goal of 20 000€ the deadline was extended until the end of January.
A first distribution of basic necessities to more than 500 workers will take place January 24 – 27th, 2021.
A more extensive report on this will be published soon.
Call for Solidarity: Paradise Workers Occupy Labor Ministry in Dhaka
[UPDATE: June 23rd, 2020: The occupation is currently into the third day. The union affiliated with the GWTUC leading the protests is called Paradise Cables Limited Workers Union. There are currently around 300 workers occupying the Labor Ministry building located in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. They are living on the premises and holding demonstrations and giving speeches all day, and into the night. The GWTUC has set up a makeshift kitchen for food for the workers.
Members of other students and workers unions are coming by to offer their
solidarity as well. The workers have been negotiating with Labor Ministry
officials, but so far the owners have been unresponsive.]
Dear Comrades,
The workers of Paradise Cable Limited factories in Naraynganj, Bangladesh, organized by the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Center (GWTUC) are leading an ongoing indefinite occupation of the Labor Ministry building in Dhaka. They are protesting for the immediate payment of their wages, which have gone unpaid by the owners of the factory for 13 months now. Their other demands include the payment of 3 years accrued overtime pay, vacation pay and bonus pay. The protesting workers are determined not to withdraw from their occupation until their demands are met. The workers had initially attempted to bring out a rally heading to the Prime Minister’s Office but were met with a heavy-handed response from police and security forces, who tried to intimidate the workers and disband the demonstration.