The work to keep garment factories safe must continue4 April, 202324 April marks the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, an industrial homicide that killed more than 1,100 people and injured many more. The tragedy served as a turning point for the textile and garment industry as out of the rubble, the Bangladesh Accord was created. Unions were able to turn tragedy into a historic agreement to make garment factories safer.
Unions negotiate a 28 per cent minimum wage increase20 March, 2023Unions in Pakistan's Punjab province, including IndustriALL affiliates, have successfully negotiated a 28 per cent raise in the minimum wage for workers employed across 102 industries in the province.
Unsafe Pakistani mines continue to claim workers’ lives14 March, 2023At least six mine workers were killed last week due to a poisonous gas leak and four others were gunned down by militant forces in Pakistan's Harnai mining area.
International Safety Accord that made history in Bangladesh expands to Pakistan14 December, 2022IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, two key drivers of the historic Bangladesh Accord, are proud to announce the extension of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry to Pakistan. The ground-breaking International Accord that over the past nine years made jobs safer for millions of garment workers in Bangladesh is now going to be extended to Pakistan.
South Asia’s wage crisis14 September, 2022Workers across the globe face soaring inflation, supply chain disruptions and a climate crisis. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the inflation rate in March 2022 was more than double that of March 2021.
Pakistan’s garment workers need safe factories7 September, 202211 September marks the tenth anniversary of the fire at Ali Enterprises, a readymade garment-manufacturing factory, in Pakistan. More than 250 people were killed and over 50 were injured in one of the world’s worst industrial fires. Although workplace safety remains a major concern, significant steps towards safer factories for textile and garment workers have been taken at a global level in the last year.
Government and employers must ensure safe mining in Pakistan1 September, 2022Pakistan’s mining industry is riddled with workplace safety violations and occupational disease. Exposure to coal dust leads to various health issues, including serious lung and heart ailments and spinal injuries. Add to that the dangers of methane gas poisoning, suffocation, underground explosions, or mine walls collapsing, leading to numerous fatalities every year.
Pakistani workers win wage raise after strike31 August, 2022After striking for a month, power loom workers in Pakistan have secured a win by signing an agreement with the employer on wage increases, contributions to social security and improved health and safety.
South Asian shipbreaking workers prepare for recycling boom25 August, 2022South Asian shipbreaking unions are preparing an organizing drive to take advantage of the expected recycling boom.
40 000 power loom workers in Pakistan strike for better wages11 August, 2022Over 40,000 power loom workers in Faisalabad responded to a call for a strike to demand social security cover and an increase in wages. The workers, who have been on strike since 1 August, have also been demonstrating on the streets of Faisalabad where over one million workers are employed in power looms.
