Pinto M.D. Mojibur Rahman

Labour and Employment - Bangladesh (South Asia)

Pintu has many stories to tell about how the global fashion industry impacts upon the working lives of young people. “I started working in clothing factories producing garments for export when I was only 11 years old. My salary was very low and I had to work long hours everyday in poor conditions”. Pintu was dismissed from several factories for speaking-out and demanding a better working environment. He eventually became involved with a local workers forum and is now Joint Secretary of the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) – a trade union, which represents more than 20,000 workers in Bangladesh. The NGWF has been instrumental in bringing about modest improvements for its members by negotiating with employers for regular holidays and better working conditions. However, Pintu believes that much more needs to be done to protect the rights of the young people who make up a large proportion of the almost 2 million garment workers in Bangladesh, and whose voice goes largely unheard.

At Oxfam IYP2004, Pintu is keen to hear about the situation of young workers in other countries and to find new solutions to combat the problem of exploitation in the workplace. By establishing a union for young workers, Pintu hopes to secure a better deal for young people working in an international industry where labour rights are frequently violated in the pursuit of excessive profits.