By Maggie Young, Staff Writer

In print April 15, 2015 

Last Thursday, a group of students, professors and visitors gathered for a forum on factory and labor conditions in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi Labor Organizer Aleya Akter and Bangladeshi factory worker Reba Sikder flew from Bangladesh to provide insight into the life of a Bangladeshi factory worker and how factory safety directly affects students in the United States.

United Students Against Sweatshops (USAS) representative Julia Wang was also present to enlighten students about the impact USAS has had on apparel companies and factory safety across the globe.

The forum began with Wang drawing an elaborate diagram of how students, branded apparel companies, and Bangladeshi workers are connected.

As Wang pointed out, universities are the missing link.

UNC-Greensboro sells a variety of branded apparel in its bookstore; amongst those brands is JanSport.

JanSport’s parent company is VF Corporation. This corporation sources from 90 factories in Bangladesh and is one of the main companies targeted by USAS.

According to Wang, the reason USAS is targeting VF Corporation is because of its lax safety standards for its factories.

Currently VF Corporation is signed onto The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (the Alliance).

Over the past 18 months USAS has been running a public campaign demanding VF Corporation to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

USAS believes that the Accord has been more successful in improving Bangladeshi worker safety. Additionally, many feel that the Accord has done a better job of being transparent about their inspections and procedures.

Akter provided information on procedures of the Accord regarding factory inspections.

She made the point to applaud the Accord for its transparency and efficiency throughout the factory inspection process.

Akter informed her audience that over the past two years, all factories listed under the Accord have been inspected and more than 24 were shut down due to high risk.

In regards to transparency, she stated, “[The Accord] discuss[es] inspection reports with factory workers…and place[s] a time frame in which the repairs should be finished. They also have follow-up meetings with factory members.”

In contrast, she spoke of her distrust for the Alliance saying, “None of us have any idea what [the Alliance] does. The operations are kept between the brands and the factory owners.”

Akter concluded by speaking about her faith in students and her optimism for a brighter future for Bangladeshi laborers.

She encouraged her audience saying, “We believe that you have the capacity to push VF through your university to sign the Accord.”

During her speech, Akter mentioned the disaster of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in 2013, which killed over 1,130 people.

Reba Sikder, a 19-year-old Bangladeshi factory worker, was working on the sixth floor of Rana Plaza the day it collapsed.

During the forum, she spoke of the events leading up to the collapse and what she endured following it.

She began by discussing the concerns of the workers the day prior to the collapse, stating that many of them noticed large cracks along the structure of the building.

On April 24, 2013, many workers were weary of entering the building according to Sikder, however, “[they] were threatened and abused.” The workers did not want to go in, but they were forced.

After an electrical failure, the factory generators were switched on. Subsequent to the power failure the building began to collapse.

As Sikder attempted to escape, a machine fell on top of her causing her to fall on top of a man who was being crushed by a fallen beam.

The man pleaded for her help, but she was unable to move and he died in front of her.

After falling unconscious for several hours, Sikder was able to pull herself out from under the machine; however, she realized that the right side of her body was numb. She found four other women and together they attempted to find a way to escape.

After hours of crawling under multiple floors of rubble, the women quickly became dehydrated. Ultimately, the women were driven to drink urine simply to survive.

Eventually, after aimlessly dragging themselves through the pitch-black, the women came to a small opening. Of the five, one was pregnant, so the other four decided that they would attempt to push the pregnant woman through first.

As they attempted to push the woman through the crevice, a beam collapsed on top of her and killed her instantly. The women continued to search for a way out, passing many severely injured co-workers.

Finally, they came to an area where they felt a breeze. After waving a rod through the opening for several hours to signal for help, an army official saw them and help was sent.

Because the roof was still collapsing, the women had to be slid out through a small opening. As Sikder was being rescued, her throat was slit on some debris—she lost consciousness.

After spending nearly two months in the hospital, she had an operation on her leg but, like all the victims, she received no monetary compensation for the accident.

Through her tears, Sikder stated, “What we want is for brands to have accountability.”

“We’ve come from across the world pleading…because we think you have the capacity to help us. And if you stand by us we will have the strength to…ensure safety for all workers in Bangladesh,” Sikder concluded.