Samsung deliberately kept secret the harmful chemicals its South Korean workers were exposed to, fearing its competitors would learn trade secrets. 76 workers are now dead. Most of the dead were in their 20s or 30s. One former worker—a breast cancer survivor—reported that Samsung brought in “uninformed kids” and treated them like they were “disposable cups.” Samsung … [Read more...]
Viva la fashion revolution
Recently the world celebrated International Fashion Revolution Day. This day was held in honour of the 1 129 factory workers who died and the 2 515 who were injured when Rana Plaza clothing factory in Bangladesh collapsed in April 2013. People from around the globe were called into action by taking selfies with their clothing labels with the supporting hash tag … [Read more...]
Retailers will pay to improve Bangladesh factories
Several of the biggest Western retailers embraced a plan that would require them to pay for factory improvements in Bangladesh as the three-week search for victims of the worst garment-industry disaster in history ended recently with the death toll at a staggering 1,127. Bangladesh’s government also agreed to allow garment workers to form unions without permission from … [Read more...]