Date: September 25, 2015
Time: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm
Location: Murphy Institute, 25 W. 43rd St., 18th Floor (Room 18A/B)
In the past 20 years neo-liberal globalization has forced de-regulation of labour markets, increased the power and movement of capital and resulted in lower real wages, higher profits, increased inequality and diminished labor power. In Asia this has resulted in the highest gender pay gap in the world, and the majority of women work in employment that lacks basic security, benefits, and safe working conditions. Women workers comprise the majority in the garment industry and domestic work is the most common occupation for women in Asia, accounting for one-third of all waged female employment. It remains to be among the lowest paid, least valued, and least organized sector.
Come hear and meet with three labor rights leaders from Bangladesh and Indonesia share their work organizing domestic workers and garment workers. Hear their stories and the importance of women’s leadership in the fight for labor rights in the context of a global economy geared towards profits for multinational companies. Inequality is now so high that a woman garment worker in Bangladesh earns less in a year than the Walton family earns every second. Within this development model, women face additional barriers to organizing as they often do majority of the household work. We will also show a documentary short on garment worker organizing in Bangladesh.
- Moderator: Chaumtoli Huq, Editor & Attorney, Law@theMargins
- Nazma Akter, Bangladesh, President, Awaj Foundation
- Eni Lestari, Indonesia/Hong Kong, Chairperson, International Migrants
Alliance (IMA) - Kate Lappin, Regional Coordinator Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development
For more information, please contact Chaumtoli Huq at (347) 445-1867.
