Massive Workers’ Protests in Bangladesh here ♦ Using Red Flag to Organize Factory Workers for Communism here ♦ Opening Workers’ Eyes So They Join ICWP here ♦
Massive Garment Workers’ Protests in Bangladesh: Only Communist Revolution, Not Reform, Will End Exploitation
EL SALVADOR, November 11—Thousands of garment workers in Bangladesh went on strike, demonstrated massively, and fought police for better wages and against repression. This, amid a wave of political violence ahead of the January elections in this Asian country.
Bangladesh is the world’s second-largest clothing exporter after China. Four million people work in its 3,500 clothing factories. They supply brands such as Levi’s, Zara, and H&M.
The garment industry accounts for 85% of Bangladesh’s $55 billion in annual exports and 16% of the country’s GDP.
Workers are demanding an increase in the minimum wage to 23,000 taka (about $209 a month). The minimum wage has been frozen at 8,000 taka (almost $73) since 2018.
“The owners have refused to meet the demands and many factories will close and workers will lose their jobs,” warned the president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Faruque Hasan.
The Government announced last week a raise to 12,500 taka (about $112 dollars per month). Workers rejected this and continue to fight.
Maquila Workers in El Salvador Discuss Bangladeshi Workers’ Struggles
“We are with you because we are living through the same bosses’ attacks,” said a worker comrade. “The bosses steal the value we produce. Only by fighting for communism will we win, because we will work based on meeting our needs.
“We will create a world without borders, without money, a communist society without racism, sexism or xenophobia. We will break the chains of wage slavery. We are united with you garment comrades in Bangladesh!”
“We are the international working class in struggle,” said another worker comrade. “We tirelessly face exploitation, unjustified firings, and inhumane conditions. But they will not defeat us. We will fight for our cause.”
Our struggle is not for money or reforms! Money does not produce value. Only workers’ labor produces value. By getting rid of the capitalists and their wage slavery, we can produce only the useful things the masses need to live a decent life. We will share, not sell or trade.
There is no “fair wage.” Even with a wage increase, we are still chained to the capitalist system. We don’t want more chains, but rather an end to their chains. Every worker needs to understand that only a communist society will eliminate money and exploitation.
Communism is the only alternative for the working class, where we will work producing for the needs of humanity. We fight for a society free of exploitation. Many of us who work in the maquilas are part of that fight.
Thousands of those fighting in Bangladesh today must join the International Communist Workers’ Party to end exploitation once and for all.
There are four million garment workers in Bangladesh. If you join our party and build communist collectives, you will become a powerful force for communist revolution. You will inspire garment workers and all workers worldwide to fight to end wage slavery. You will help build a communist society to meet the needs of all workers.
Let’s cross the bosses’ borders and share Red Flag newspaper with these workers so that they feel communist solidarity.
Let’s organize to overthrow this capitalist system! Let’s fight for the communist world that we so need and deserve!
Using Red Flag to Organize Factory Workers for Communism
At a meeting of collectives in El Salvador, a Red Flag reader said, “Capitalism makes people believe that Israel is a people of God and even calls it a holy land. But I see that they kill our people without mercy. Reading this newspaper, we are clarifying what the real motives of the war are.”
We commented that the war in Gaza is also a business that generates millions of dollars in profits for the capitalist owners of arms factories. Their sales skyrocket, enriching their pockets stained with workers’ blood. The rulers and power groups line up in blocs and fight for their petty interests.
“The war also makes us see the need to organize for the International Communist Workers’ Party in the army. Also, having more workers in the industrial areas is how we must respond to these attacks on the working class,” said another comrade.
We believe that as an International Communist Workers’ Party facing this whole situation, we can never give up. We must organize more workers for a classless society.
We have held meetings of the workers’ collectives in the factory. We discuss articles from the latest edition of this newspaper about the war in Gaza. And we discuss the political activities we have planned as ICWP. We are inviting workers to the conference at the end of this year, emphasizing the importance of political training.
We will continue to hold these discussions with the city and rural workers of the east and west of El Salvador, distributing our Red Flag newspaper.
—Comrade Maquila worker
Opening People’s Eyes So They Join ICWP
Over three years ago, many comrades welcomed me to the first meeting of the El Salvador collective to which I was invited. It was admirable to see the struggle and commitment of all the comrades, to learn about the struggle of the working class both here and in South Africa, India, and other places. Listening to their personal stories, I was moved.
I felt at home. I had finally found what I had been looking for. Since then I have been an active part of our ICWP party and our Red Flag newspaper. I am proud of it.
I feel responsible to unify efforts with the other comrades, to build the basis of communist relations with more people so that they become part of our communist struggle.
I share my story with friends and family so that they will also open their eyes and join and become part of our party.
I let them know that our unity is a victory for the consciousness of the working class. Power to the working class! Our struggle goes beyond partial change against the attacks of capitalism. It is a struggle against the whole system. That’s why we fight for communism.
We have a group of readers with whom I always share our newspaper Red Flag. It’s a constant struggle and a commitment that we must continue winning comrades who know and understand the ideology of our party. And that we are an international party without borders.
I will continue to follow up on our political reading and discussion group, fighting for our Red Flag readers to become our comrades in the revolutionary struggle for a communist world.
—A Comrade in El Salvador