According to AFP, experts assess Vietnam as typical for healthy textile industry, good discipline and adequate salary.
From factory fires to labor abuse, the development of mass production in Asia has never been a problem. Last week, a plant collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh, left 550 people dead and missing. The incident is raising concerns about working conditions at cheap garment factories for the world's top brands.
Kalpona Akter, worker of the Bangladesh Workers Solidarity Center, said: "The wave of consumer boycotts is on the rise, and Bangladesh needs to reform its industry before fashion admirers wonder whether they should wear them. bloody dress. "
According to AFP, Vietnamese assessment experts are typical of a healthy textile industry, good discipline and adequate salaries. Giant brands like Zara, Mango and H & M all have products created here.
Tara Rangarajan, director of the ILO's Better Work project in Vietnam, said: "There is no wage cut race here." "Exploiting workers is only a short-term policy to reduce product costs." Vietnam wants to compete long-term in many ways other than labor costs, so they are constantly striving to improve the rules. The fact is that Vietnam still attracts its customers even though Bangladesh's labor costs are three times higher than in Bangladesh.
Working conditions at factories have also improved over the past decade. Workers say they are treated with respect, especially skilled workers. They also offer incentives such as free accommodation and standard meals.
Nguyen Huu Linh has been working in a bag making factory for 18 years. "When I first got to work, my salary was $ 40 ($ 847) a month, but now a skilled worker can earn $ 350 to $ 400." "Technology has been a big help to us," he said. At first, he was just a worker, but now he is the chain manager.
Vietnam garment export turnover reached USD 3.1 billion in the first quarter, up 18.3% over the same period. Lawyer Nguyen Dinh Huan said that the "number one priority" of the government is to promote the application of technology.
In contrast, Bangladesh has a strategy of "maximize the cost cutting." They invest in exploiting workers rather than using and upgrading technology, said Nayla Ajaltouni, coordinator of Collectif Ethique sur l'etiquette. According to Ajaltouni, "The industry is growing rapidly, which is why health and safety issues are common here."
However, anger over the plant collapse could be a turning point for Bangladesh. In 2011, the workers' minimum wage was increased "not because of humanitarian reasons but because of protests that caused the supply to be affected. This disaster would force fashion firms to change under pressure. media and society, "she added.
However, Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of the Bangladesh Exporters Association, explained that they already have world class factories. However, customers do not pay attention because they want to maximize profits.
The problem is that "consumers never know the real relationship between cheap clothing, labor abuse or health and safety standards, and they are overwhelmed by the marketing technology of the firms" Said Anne Elizabeth Moore, a well known author.
The director of a Hong Kong-based fashion agency said the recent incident in Bangladesh "is forcing companies, whether they are in the building or not, to tighten their supply chains. Anyway, they can not change the system in Bangladesh, which is the responsibility of the government. " He stressed that unlike Vietnam, Dhaka did not apply the minimum wage increase policy every year and formed a union.
Thuy Linh