Labor Issues in Bangladesh

The Bangladeshi apparel industry now employs about 4 million, at least 80 percent of whom are women. It finances the government and influences its politics. Numerous members of Parliament have ties to the garment industry. But, not unlike other apparel exporters, Bangladesh is a poor, developing country with lots of economic challenges. What sets it apart from other countries is the sheer size of the industry and the rate of growth. What happens in Bangladesh may have a dramatic ripple effect on the global apparel industry. A change in working conditions there has the potential to change conditions for workers everywhere. That is one reason why we want global retailers to stay in Bangladesh, to work together and adopt industrywide standards to do everything possible to improve working conditions and make sure another Rana Plaza never happens again, anywhere in the world.