In early June, hundreds of thousands of Bangladeshis took to the streets to protest the government’s reinstatement of a job quota system favoring descendants from the country’s independence war in 1971. Since then, the prime minister has fled the country, and Bangladesh’s Supreme Court rolled back much of the unfair quota system.
However, the government's violent response to the protests has resulted in over 560 deaths and an estimated 150,000 injuries. Students and workers have borne the brunt of this abuse.
As a signatory to the International Accord, UNI Global Union has a longstanding relationship with the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), affiliated with IndustriALL. The NGWF’s members have been greatly affected by this violence. Five federation members have been killed; 50 have been injured and 100 have been arrested.