LASTING HARDSHIP Mazaffar, 25, lost his right leg due to injuries sustained in the Spectrum Sweaters factory collapse, and was one of about 100 injured survivors. A year after the disaster, workers had received medical aid, but overtime and legally-required severance payments had not been paid.

SWEATSHOP ACTION CCC and its sister organisations worldwide co-ordinate their campaigns. In April 2006, activists in Belgium protested outside the Bangladesh Embassy in Brussels on the anniversary of the Spectrum fire.

CLEAN CLOTHES CAMPAIGN
Fighting exploitation in Bangladesh's garment industry

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Hazards 95 photofeature, July - September2006

Why should a worker in Bangladesh have to put her or his life on the line simply to make a cheap sweater or t-shirt for European shoppers? Nina Ascoly of the Clean Clothes Campaign describes the global campaign for safe work and justice for Bangladesh’s garment workers.

Bangladesh’s burgeoning garment industry relies on exports, much destined for Europe’s big name high street stores. It should not rely on exploitation and deadly working conditions. The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), a network of over 200 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and trade unions with groups in nine European countries including the UK, has been at the forefront of a campaign for better working conditions in the global garment industry.

Grassroots activism, international cooperation, lobbying, high profile campaigns and urgent appeals in support of garment workers suffering exploitation and labour rights and health and safety abuses are key CCC organising techniques, in Bangladesh and elsewhere.

SIMPLE MESSAGE Bangladesh garment unions NGWF and SGWF took to the streets this year to demand safe workplaces.
Photo: SGWF

More information

International Secretariat
Clean Clothes Campaign
Postbus 11584
1001 GN Amsterdam
The Netherlands
Tel: 00 31 20 412 2785
Email: info@cleanclothes.org
Online: www.cleanclothes.org

Labour Behind the Label (UK CCC)
38 Exchange Street
Norwich NR2 1AX
United Kingdom
Tel: 01603 666160
Email: info@labourbehindthelabel.org
Online: www.labourbehindthelabel.org

The Clean Clothes Campaign has a regular ‘Clean Clothes’ newsletter and produces other high quality campaign and research publications, many available free online

For updates of action you can take to support workers’ struggles, see www.cleanclothes.org/action

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