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Article

19 Apr 2016

Author:
Jenny Holdcroft, IndustriALL Global Union in Huffington Post

Why Boycotting Brands Won't Help Garment Workers

As we wonder #whomademyclothes - attention turns to the millions of garment workers, surviving on poverty wages, who make the clothes we wear...But what can we do to help these workers - 80% of whom are women?..Certainly not to only buy vintage or second hand - as two fashionistas recently proposed on a BBC radio 4 program. Garment workers desperately need to keep their jobs, so boycotting brands is not the way forward. They want to work. In many countries the garment industry is one of the few avenues to financial independence for women. What they don't want are poverty wages, excessive working hours and unsafe factories.

Part of the following timelines

3 years on from Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh - little improvements in health & safety conditions

Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh