dressed & undressed clothed & stripped - in the news 10-19 April 2018

* Changing behaviours – organizing in Myanmar
Yes, a Korean-owned garment factory in Yangon, Myanmar, is in some ways a rarity among the many othe rfactories found in the township Hlaing Thar Yar.
Workers here have formed a trade union and have negotiated a collective agreement with management.

There is still resistance to joining a union among workers in Myanmar, as they fear for reprisals, and unions are often met with skepticism from employers….
http://www.industriall-union.org/changing-behaviours-organizing-in-myanmar

BANGLADESH

* Aminul murder: ‘Who is so powerful that they killed Aminul — yet are still untouchable?’
https://www.dhakatribune.com/opinion/special/2018/04/19/aminul-murder-powerful-killed-aminul-yet-still-untouchable/

* RANA PLAZA DISASTER
Survivors still languish
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/survivors-still-languish-1563955

* Around 49% Rana Plaza survivors could not get back to work: study
http://www.newagebd.net/article/39266/49pc-rana-plaza-survivors-could-not-get-back-to-work-study

* Over 48% Rana Plaza survivors still unemployed
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/over-48pc-rana-plaza-survivors-still-unemployed-1523970209
&
….No standard form of compensation yet Five years have gone by, but there is still no standard form of compensation for worker death and injury, in case of industrial accident, experts and rights group underlined….
https://www.dhakatribune.com/business/2018/04/18/action-aid-48-survivors-rana-plaza-collapse-jobless/

* Rana Plaza victims still battle poverty
For four days Rubina Begum lay buried in debris, waiting for death. But the seamstress survived the Rana Plaza building collapse that killed more than 1,000 workers near Dhaka in 2013.
Today, she often wishes she had died that April morning.

Trapped under a machine, with only her neck above the debris and the “smell of death” surrounding her, Begum prayed to be rescued so she could see her mother one more time.

But five years on, as she struggles to earn enough to take care of her family, Begum often wonders about her “miraculous rescue” from Bangladesh’s worst industrial disaster.

“For nine years I had a monthly income and managed to support my family,” said the 35-year-old, who used to stitch pockets on to trousers on the sixth floor of the Rana Plaza.

“But today I don’t. The compensation I got after the crash was mostly spent on my treatment.
Now I can’t work like I used to, have no regular income and there are days I wish I had not survived Rana Plaza.”…..
http://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/174001/Rana-Plaza-victims-still-battle-poverty

* Five years after Rana Plaza, the need for the Bangladesh Accord persists
https://cleanclothes.org/news/2018/04/18/five-years-after-rana-plaza-the-need-for-the-bangladesh-accord-persists

* Clean Clothes Campaign starts week of action to urge brands to sign the 2018 Bangladesh Accord
https://cleanclothes.org/news/2018/04/17/clean-clothes-campaign-starts-week-of-action-to-urge-brands-to-sign-the-2018-bangladesh-accord

* Workers at 3,000 subcontracting RMG units in danger
http://www.newagebd.net/article/39148/workers-at-3000-subcontracting-rmg-units-in-danger

* Five Years After Rana Plaza: The Way Forward
http://www.stern.nyu.edu/experience-stern/faculty-research/five-years-after-rana-plaza-way-forward
&
Read the full report: 2018 NYU-Bangladesh Rana Plaza Report

* Remediation of left-out RMG factories to cost $1.2b
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/remediation-of-left-out-rmg-factories-to-cost-12b-1524053345

* ‘They Have Forgotten the Lessons of Rana Plaza’
https://www.solidaritycenter.org/they-have-forgotten-the-lessons-of-rana-plaza/

* What the Rana Plaza Disaster Changed About Worker Safety
https://www.racked.com/2018/4/13/17230770/rana-plaza-collapse-anniversary-garment-workers-safety

* 31% of RMG factories make no progress in remediation works
http://www.newagebd.net/article/38774/31pc-of-rmg-factories-make-no-progress-in-remediation-works

* Alliance wants new transitional arrangement
http://www.newagebd.net/article/38920/alliance-wants-new-transitional-arrangement
&
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/alliance-looks-to-form-capable-successor-organisation-1523766285

* 10 RMG factories to get safety practice award
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/10-rmg-factories-to-get-safety-practice-award-1523974700

* RMG workers block city street demanding arrears
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/rmg-workers-block-city-street-demanding-arrears-1523879762

* Gazipur RMG workers protest at termination
http://www.newagebd.net/article/39110/gazipur-rmg-workers-protest-at-termination

* MoU inked for bringing RMG workers under financial inclusion
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/mou-inked-for-bringing-rmg-workers-under-financial-inclusion-1523949978

* BD garment manufacturers call for fair pricing
http://www.unb.com.bd/bangladesh-news/BD-garment-manufacturers-call-for-fair-pricing/68225

* Experts favour sending women, girls as RMG workers
Labour migration experts advised the government not to send women and girls abroad as housemaids but only as apparel workers to save them from physical torture and abuses….
http://www.newagebd.net/article/39310/experts-favour-sending-women-girls-as-rmg-workers

* Better Buying, ETI team up to endorse reliable purchase
http://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/trade/better-buying-eti-team-up-to-endorse-reliable-purchase-1524053760

INDIA

* Two godowns gutted in major blaze in Mumbai
Two garments godowns were today gutted in a major fire in suburban Kurla in Mumbai, a Fire official said.

No casualty is reported in the mishap so far and efforts are on to put out the flames….
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/17/two-godowns-gutted-in-major-blaze-in-mumbai-1802881.html
&
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/mumbai/fire-breaks-out-in-garment-godown/article23578026.ece

* Indore bench of high court upholds tribunal order , relief for Century Textile staff
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/indore/hc-century-textiles-and-industries-ltd/articleshow/63702871.cms

* Textile crisis worsening
http://www.thehindu.com/archives/textile-crisis-worsening/article23563633.ece

* Govt to take call on Bt cotton issue after studying Delhi HC order
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/business/india-business/govt-to-take-call-on-bt-cotton-issue-after-studying-delhi-hc-order/articleshow/63803539.cms

* The GM crop debate continues
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-in-school/the-gm-crop-debate-continues/article23551698.ece

* Sangareddy ZP meeting witnesses war of words
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/sangareddy-zp-meeting-witnesses-war-of-words/article23564964.ece

* Debt-ridden farmer commits suicide in Maharashtra, blames Modi govt in note
https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/debt-ridden-farmer-commits-suicide-in-maharashtra-s-yavatmal-blames-modi-govt-in-note/story-X7syBR6uRyK3coH50KsxIK.html

* Tenant farmers unhappy with government decision
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/tenant-farmers-unhappy-with-government-decision/article23506279.ece

* Monsanto loses Indian legal battle over Genetically Modified cotton patents
http://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2018/apr/12/monsanto-loses-indian-legal-battle-over-genetically-modified-cotton-patents-1800330.html

* Delhi HC dismisses Monsanto Technology’s plea to enforce BT cotton seed patent
http://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2018/apr/11/delhi-hc-dismisses-monsanto-technologys-plea-to-enforce-bt-cotton-seed-patent-1800054.html
&
http://www.india.com/news/agencies/delhi-hc-dismisses-monsanto-plea-to-enforce-bt-cotton-seed-patent-2994583/

* US announces GSP eligibility review of India
Based on the market access concerns it has with India, the US on Friday announced eligibility review of India for the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
Simultaneously, the US also announced eligibility review of other two countries — Indonesia and Kazakhstan, which it said was based on concerns about the countries’ compliance with the programme. ….
http://www.newagebd.net/article/38995/us-announces-gsp-eligibility-review-of-india

PAKISTAN

* Women-friendly labour laws, their proper implementation demanded
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/305793-women-friendly-labour-laws-their-proper-implementation-demanded

* Legal mechanisms still fall short of efforts needed to tackle sexual harassment
Many employers have yet to set up committees to investigate harassment complaints, says expert Farehia Rehman….
https://dailytimes.com.pk/228526/legal-mechanisms-still-fall-short-of-efforts-needed-to-tackle-sexual-harassment/

* ‘We need to amend our labour laws to protect the rights of our labour’
https://www.dawn.com/news/1401841

* Protest rally against price-hike
https://nation.com.pk/18-Apr-2018/protest-rally-against-price-hike

* All Pakistan Workers Confederation demands govt for 50% increase in wages, pensions
https://dailytimes.com.pk/229515/all-pakistan-workers-confederation-demands-govt-for-50-increase-in-wages-pensions/

* PRGMEA urges for steps to promote industrialisation in budget proposal
The Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) in its budget proposals for 2018-19 has called for various steps to promote industrialisation and enhance exports.

PRGMEA urged for increasing ease of doing business, lowering cost of production, paying early refunds to solve liquidity crunch, relaxing import policy for industrial raw material, and equalising the energy tariff across the country, a statement said on Monday…
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/305286-prgmea-urges-for-steps-to-promote-industrialisation-in-budget-proposal

* Growth is an illusion for textile millers
https://www.dawn.com/news/1401811