Update: Mehedi Hasan was released by the Bangladesh security forces on Sunday, February 3, 2008 after being held for ten days in detention. Police have told Hasan’s lawyer that all charges against him have been dropped, although the WRC is awaiting written confirmation.

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In this issue:

New corporate accountability initiatives in Canada; MFA Forum meets in Toronto; Mexico's 'Espacio'; Life after the maquila

Download Update Vol. 12.1 here

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In December 2006, War on Want published an exposé on the wages and working conditions of the garment workers in Bangladesh who produce clothes for some of the UK’s most important discount retailers.

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Unions and labour rights NGOs in Bangladesh have joined together in demanding that the basic monthly minimum wage for the country's 2 million garment workers be raised.

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Simmering anger at poverty wages and poor working conditions boiled over into massive worker protests in Bangladesh in May 2006. Two workers were confirmed dead, hundreds injured, and over a hundred factories were set ablaze in several days of rioting.

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In April 2005, 64 workers were killed, 74 injured, and hundreds left jobless when the Spectrum-Shahriyar garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed. In early 2006, there were a number of similar tragedies in other garment factories producing for European, US and Canadian retailers and brands, in which hundreds of workers were killed and injured. These deaths and injuries were entirely preventable.

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On Friday, December 2, 2005, the French-language Radio Canada program Zone Libre exposed Wal-Mart for using child labour at two factories in Bangladesh.

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The MFA Forum has been engaging with the Government of Bangladesh, the industry association and local unions and NGOs on a wide range of issues facing the Bangladeshi garment industry.

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