Shahidul Islam of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF). Photo credit: Shahidul Islam.

The WSR Network extends our solidarity and condolences to our long-time allies at the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation (BGIWF). This week, Shahidul Islam, a long-time union leader, was beaten to death for his activism in Tongi, Gazipur, Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh government should act quickly and impartially investigate the murder of Shahidul Islam, a killing that underscores the vulnerability of those who stand up for human rights in Bangladesh. 

Shahidul Islam was the president of BGIWF’s Gazipur district committee and he and his colleagues were in the midst of a dispute over the payment of bonuses and wages with a local factory. Islam and his colleagues had just attended a meeting with management at a Prince Jacquard Sweaters Ltd factory, where management had refused to pay wages and bonuses due, despite orders of the Deputy Commissioner’s (DC) office of Gazipur District to do so.

As Islam and his fellow union representatives left the meeting, they were attacked by a group of assailants shouting “You are here for workers’ pay!” according to reports filed with the police. They violently punched and kicked them, leaving Islam unconscious and critically wounded. He was declared dead at a nearby hospital; the other union representatives were treated but not admitted to the hospital. 

Shahidul Islam leaves behind two children and his wife, herself a former organizer, who is currently battling cancer.

The World Mourns the Loss of Shahidul Islam, Worker Leader

The loss of Shahidul Islam is mourned throughout the Bangladesh labor movement, and across the world. “Shahidul mobilised thousands of workers to join unions, empowering them to become solid factory-level leaders,” said Kalpona Akter, the president of BGIWF, Bangladesh Workers Solidarity Center, and a member of the Worker-driven Social Responsibility Network Coordinating Committee. “Throughout his life, he assisted thousands of workers in receiving arrears and severance pay wrongfully denied by their employers. With workers’ needs always in mind, Shahidul and three other worker representatives met on the evening of his death to discuss a peaceful resolution to a wage dispute and the Eid-ul-Azha festival bonus. He met his fate due to the industry promotion of yellow unionism for years and the neglect of workers’ voices. His contributions to the labour movement were remarkable and will be sorely missed.”

Fundamental Human Rights Under Attack in Bangladesh Garment Sector

This is not the first time that BGIWF members have seen one of their leaders murdered. Aminul Islam, a former garment worker and union activist with BGIWF and Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity was tortured and murdered in April 2012. Aminul Islam was a key leader in the movement to advance workers’ rights in the years before the Rana Plaza collapse brought much-needed global attention to the garment industry. 

The investigation and charges that followed Aminul Islam’s murder were rejected by colleagues in Bangladesh and around the world as inadequate. It is vital that Shahidul Islam’s murder is investigated thoroughly. 

These murders underscore the extreme threats facing those in Bangladesh who organize for basic human rights, including freedom of association. Workers in Bangladesh too often face systematic repression by factory owners who work with criminal groups and yellow unions to intimidate workers who exercise their rights to organize independent, democratic unions – rights that are protected under both Bangladesh law and international labor conventions.

International Community Stands Together for Accountability, Safe and Dignified Jobs for Garment Workers in Bangladesh

According to import data gathered by the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), “T.K. Maxx, Tessival, Global Fashion Icon, N.E Brands LCC, Suzy’s Inc, RD Style, and New Yorker seem to be sourcing from Prince Jacquard Sweaters Ltd. The United States, Canada, Italy, Spain and Denmark are major export areas. CCC is currently collecting more data on the buyers that source from the factory and will update accordingly.” Fashion brands must be held accountable for ensuring their suppliers meet fundamental human rights standards in their factories.

We send our condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Shahidul Islam. We join in solidarity with the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and the Bangladesh Workers Solidarity Center and will continue to fight alongside them until all workers have safe, dignified jobs, and can exercise their fundamental rights without fear.