Kalpona Akter had been a part of the garments industry ever since she got her first job at the age of 12, and has been fighting for her rights, and the rights of Bangladeshi workers in general, since the 90s. Last month, she was given the Alison Des Forges Award for Extraordinary Activism in 2016 by Human Rights Watch, along with four other prominent activists from across the world. We speak to Kalpona Akter about her life, the right to unionise and the future of workers in Bangladesh.When did you first become a garments factory worker?I started working when I was 12. My father was the only earning member in a family of seven, and once he got ill, there was no one to feed the family. My mother was still breastfeeding my two-month old sister at the time and she worked for six months, but became very ill as well. I had no other option, so my 10-year-old brother and I started working at a garments factory in 1989-90. My wages were next to nothing – I started off with around Tk240 per month. I worked 14-15 hours per day, so that was barely one taka per hour. We would even work overnight, and catch a few hours of sleep on the factory floor before going back to work again. I remember I once spent 23 straight days at the factory, without going home even once. It was also common to be sworn at and slapped around there. There were a lot of us child labourers, and we had no idea about our rights. I still remember there was once a fire on the fifth floor, but they told us to keep working on the third and not evacuate. That is how little they valued our lives.How did you go from an exploited child worker to a champion for worker’s rights?Around 1992, there were strikes at our factory to demand overtime. At the time, I had no idea what a strike was or what it could lead to, but I was one of the young female workers who participated. 23 of my colleagues were dismissed for organising like this and through them, I was introduced to an organisation (it is now called Solidarity Centre Bangladesh). I still remember one of the first times I went to a four-hour class on my legal rights – my mind was blown! I had no idea about trade unions or any of it. It completely changed my life.
I went back to the factory determined to form a trade union, but the owners used their influence to block the registration, and I was fired after that. I still sued the factory which effectively put me on a blacklist – it was impossible for me to find another job. I really struggled during that time, but it was also the best thing for me. Because they fired me, I left the industry and went on my journey to fight for workers’ rights. I worked for the Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation till 1999. Although our work was centred on garments factory workers, other workers would come to us too for training and support. So then, with colleagues Sheikh Najma and Babul Akhter, we founded the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity to focus on the rights of all workers. We engage in training, support and advocacy and raise our voices for all workers, starting from domestic workers to people in communications. We are also very involved in talking about women’s and children’s rights.How do you feel about receiving the Alison Des Forges Award?I feel like I haven’t done enough to get it, but yes, this is definitely a milestone for every one of us involved in the fight for worker’s rights. This is recognition of the legitimacy of our fight, and that people across the world are hearing our voices. But there is a long way to go yet, and we still need to fight for the right to organise in unions, to have safe working conditions, to receive adequate compensation and an overall improvement in workers' lives.What are the biggest obstacles you have faced?When we started off, the government revoked our federation's registration. I, along with my colleagues, were charged and arrested, and I spent a month in jail before being released on bail after a huge number of people raised their voices against the injustice. The cases were only resolved in 2014. In 2012, my co-worker Aminul Islam was abducted and murdered, and we are yet to receive justice. The biggest obstacle is that my legislator is my factory owner – the owners are part of a ruling elite who have close ties with government, no matter who is in power. On an international level, the supply chain is not transparent, and is constantly trying to shift responsibility onto each other. Everyone wants a bigger piece of the pie, but no one wants to pay for it.What is your biggest achievement so far?The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety is a huge achievement for us, and it has actually been implemented. After the Rana Plaza disaster, there has been real initiative to make these changes. But the sad thing is that although the campaign started in 2011, almost 1,500 people had to give their lives, at Tazreen and Rana Plaza, for us to achieve this. These disasters also led to the biggest compensation from foreign buyers, which was also an achievement. However, on a national level there is still no change in our laws regarding compensation. The suspension of Bangladesh in 2015 from the US' generalised system of preference also gave us a window to ask for our rights. After Rana Plaza, 300+ unions have been registered, but this is more a rush to appease international pressure than anything else. We have not yet been able to create a healthy environment for unions, where workers have proper bargaining rights.What do you say to the argument that higher wages would reduce the industry's competitive edge?Our advantage is not cheap labour, it’s that people do not know their rights and it is easy to exploit them. I still remember how shocked one of the worker's was when we had the opportunity to go abroad for a seminar, and she walked into a Gap store and picked up a pair of jeans that cost $75. She had no idea the profit margin could be this wide. The factories in Bangladesh will get around $6-10 from this price, and of that, only a few cents will trickle down to the workers. The disparity is incredible. Everyone is here for the business, not charity, and it is ridiculous to suggest that we will lose business in exchange for our rights. In 2015, my colleagues and I were arrested in New Jersey for demanding compensation from Children’s Place for the Rana Plaza disaster. Mahinur Begum, a survivor from Rana Plaza, was with us. We were there demanding the company pay $8 million in compensation. This seems like a large amount, until you realise the CEO alone receives around $12 million a year!Do you think the garments industry has empowered women?This is a $4 billion industry we are talking. We are always talking about empowerment, but what do we mean by that? Do the women have wage ownership? How safe are women in these factories, in their neighbourhoods and on the roads they take to work? Does gender based violence not exist in factories? These are all difficult questions we ignore for the sake of a positive story of development. As of now, I would say around 50% of factories fully/partially enforce maternity leave, but not more than 10% provide day-care facilities.What is your vision for the future?Right now, we are fighting for the rights of workers across many sectors, including communications and logistics sector where many of the large companies are blocking workers from forming proper unions. Agricultural and domestic workers still have no rights. There is a huge divide between the working class and the business elite, but I dream of a time this will change. Historically, the path to establishing rights of workers has never been smooth. But I dream of established labour unions in Bangladesh, with vocal members and political legitimacy. And women will lead these unions, because women dominate certain workforces, but do not have an equal level of representation.What would you say to future leaders like yourself?To other women I would say, you can’t stop. Begum Rokeya has shown us the way, and women like Sultana Kamal continue to show us how we can lead the fight for change. We have to keep fighting, even if we don’t see concrete change within our lifetimes, we have to do it for future generations. The show must go on.
Thursday, June 04, 2026
