H&M announces pilot project for fair pay in Bangladesh and Cambodia

Western countries – the primary destination of these textile exports, were moved, in April, by the poor working and pay conditions of workers in textile factories in Bangladesh, after the building harboring these workshops in the Dacca area collapsed, killing 1,130.  H&M wasn’t a client of the workshops concerned by this tragedy but was the first group to sign the international Agreement on Fire and Building Safety, followed by Inditex (Zara – Spain) and 101 other western brands and retailers (see article No.  130323).  For its part, the Swedish giant had already repeatedly asked Bangladesh and Cambodia to increase minimum wage and review it annually.  In Bangladesh, international mobilization that followed the Dacca tragedy led the authorities to increase minimum wage, which had remained at $40/month since 2010.  an agreement reached on November 13 and effective immediately raises it to $68 for textile workers.  However, this remains lower than in neighboring countries and there have been strikes and demonstrations, violently reprimanded, to demand minimum wage amounting to at least $100 (see article No.  130734).