Regarding Bangladesh's exploited workers

Contra Costa Times




eEdition / Subscriber Services







Publications Contra Costa Times

East County Times

San Ramon Valley Times

Tri-Valley Times

West County Times





Peninsula readers' letters: May 8



From Daily News Group readers



mercurynews.com

Posted:   05/07/2013 06:45:21 PM PDT

May 8, 2013 8:12 AM GMTUpdated:   05/08/2013 01:12:49 AM PDT









Regarding Bangladesh's exploited workers



Dear Editor: The death toll in Bangladesh has topped 600 after an eight-story garment factory building collapsed with thousands of workers inside. Cracks had been found in the building, but workers say the factory owners forced them to go to work anyway.



Protests broke out in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka as angry workers blocked key highways, marched on several factories, and rallied outside the headquarters of Bangladesh's main manufacturers group. The disaster comes exactly five months after a massive fire killed at least 112 garment workers at Bangladesh's Tazreen factory, which made clothing sold by Wal-Mart, among other companies.



Bangladesh now is the second-largest garment exporter in the world, right after China. Chinese garment factories are moving to Bangladesh because of the low wages -- 14 to 24 cents an hour. The workers work 14 hours a day, often seven days a week. Bangladesh is sacrificing all of these young women, who receive starvation wages. There is no right to organize in Bangladesh.



Ted Rudow III,



Palo Alto











Copyright 2012 San Jose Mercury News. All rights reserved.