Localized Activism in the Bangladeshi Garments Industry: Mobilizing the Labour Movement from the Ground Up

This thesis is based on research conducted between the summer and fall of 2021, and it investigates the global garments industry from the perspective of local labour organizers and activists in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is the second-largest producer of fast fashion and textile in the world, employing millions of garments workers across the country. Moreover, the long history of industrial disasters, such as the infamous case of the Rana Plaza collapse, make Bangladesh a valuable site for unravelling the layers of exploitation and vulnerability associated with wage labour in the global assembly line. The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse killed over a thousand garments workers and left behind trails of loss and trauma. Given the rise of factory disasters in the garments industry and the timing of this research being situated amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, this thesis analyzes the challenges facing Bangladeshi garments factory workers and their capacity to collectivize in the industry to claim their rights as citizens. Additionally, the author investigates, how do local activists mobilize the sromik andolon (labour movement) on the ground amidst continued corporate and state-led violence in this neoliberal supply chain? Lastly, the author enquires, why is the localized labour movement essential for Bangladeshi garments workers, and wage workers more generally? Exploring the experience of industrial disasters as key moments for generating new forms of worker activism, this thesis explores how garments workers and local activists develop a nuanced and critical understanding of what the readymade garments industry means for workers in Bangladesh and argues for an ethnographic approach of “listening to the local” as a vital source of understanding the lives of workers and activists

Improving Supports for Diverse Women Entering Executive Roles

We report on research identifying supports and barriers for women of diverse backgrounds entering executive roles in Canadian organizations. Intersectionality explains how different social categories such as gender, age and ethnoracial identity are interrelated and affect the professional lives of women. Family supports and networking are key to women\u27s success. The COVID-19 pandemic presents both problems and opportunities for working women. This research was conducted as a graduate student project in collaboration with the Women\u27s Executive Network. We offer recommendations for how organizations can better support women entering leadership roles