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Watch UDITA (ARISE) documentary on women unionists in Bangladesh

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Filmmakers Rainbow Collective have made the documentary UDITA (ARISE) about the struggles that women trade unionists in the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) have faced in Bangladesh over the last five years - you can watch it in full below.

The film premiered on the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse on April 24th at an event hosted by Unite Tower Hamlets Community branch in partnership with War on Want and the TUC.

The film focuses on the challenges and achievements of women members of the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh.   TUC Aid is currently supporting NGWF to run a leadership development programme for female members.

Women make up the majority (85%) of workers in the garment industry in Bangladesh but under 2% of these workers are in trade unions.  Women workers frequently face harassment by male supervisors and can face particular harassment if they are in a trade union. This means women often do not take up positions as reps and leaders in their union but this in turn makes it more difficult for women to bargain for their rights at work.  

UDITA follows the stories of four members of NGWF who speak of abuse they've faced at the factory for being in a union, while one woman in the film is warned by her husband that she will be sacked if she is seen by the boss as a 'troublemaker' in a union.  Yet the women in the film will not be discouraged, as they know that being part of a union is the only way they can overcome the serious problems they face at work with unsafe conditions, low pay and very long hours. One worker says she only gets to see her baby for one hour a day when she gets home in the evening, and then he's asleep.  

UDITA also shows the terrible impact on families that was caused by the Rana Plaza collapse, following one woman who's daughter and stepson were killed in the collapse who now has to care for her daughter’s children who appear shell shocked and shy.  In one scene the children listlessly walking over the rubble of the Rana Plaza factory under which their mother was crushed. They pick out pieces of clothing still caught in the debris, each one has a Western label on them.  Their grandmother is struggling to pay for school fees and clothes. Like too many families that were victims of the collapse, she had not received compensation for the Rana Plaza collapse. The TUC has been calling for all companies sourcing from Bangladesh to pay into the compensation fund.

UDITA charts the progression of the trade union movement in Bangladesh from 2010 when trade unions were effectively illegal in the garment sector to the present day where trade unions have pushed for changes in the law to be able to register and are growing fast though many problems still remain with the labour law – with restrictions on union registrations, strikes and no union rights in Export Processing Zones being just a few of the problems highlighted by a recent ITUC’s report.

The film shows women now leading union campaigns against the low wages and poor conditions they continue to face. The film underlines the importance of solidarity support to make sure more women leaders emerge to win dignity at work in garment factories.

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