Early in the evening of June 25, Bangladeshi union leader Shahidul Islam paid a visit to a factory in the garment industry hub of Gazipur on the outskirts of Dhaka. His goal was to settle a dispute over unpaid wages at one of the local clothing factories, a common issue in fashion’s global supply chain. He never made it home.
After leaving the factory, Islam was set upon by a group of men, according to a translation of a police complaint filed by his union and reviewed by BoF. As they beat him unconscious, the men jibed at Islam over his efforts to secure the workers’ pay, the complaint alleged. He died in hospital later that night.
The incident is currently under police investigation and several people have been arrested. Still, the death has heightened anxiety over the risks faced by labour organisers amid a broader, and often violent, crackdown on labour rights.
Read the full story at the #linkinbio.
After leaving the factory, Islam was set upon by a group of men, according to a translation of a police complaint filed by his union and reviewed by BoF. As they beat him unconscious, the men jibed at Islam over his efforts to secure the workers’ pay, the complaint alleged. He died in hospital later that night.
The incident is currently under police investigation and several people have been arrested. Still, the death has heightened anxiety over the risks faced by labour organisers amid a broader, and often violent, crackdown on labour rights.
Read the full story at the #linkinbio.
