The fashion industry has come under pressure to improve conditions and workers' rights, particularly after the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh in which 1,136 workers were killed. A landmark 2016 court ruling declared that garment workers should receive a pay rise of up to 30 percent and that they could claim arrears going back to 2014. It said garment workers in Chennai who raised issues were "isolated" and kept under the watch of human resource officials. The ILO says freedom of association is a "human right" and encourages companies not to discriminate against workers joining or forming unions. Like most factories, Celebrity Fashion does not recognise the Garment and Fashion Workers Union (GAFWU), which Murugesan has joined.

Source: bd News24 February 01, 2018 04:18 UTC