By Kim Bhasin, Source: Huffington Post

– Activists are rallying against the clothing company Ralph Lauren for its staunch refusal to sign an international agreement that seeks to improve conditions for factory workers in Bangladesh, one of the world’s biggest clothing suppliers.

Nazma Akter, a 41-year-old union organizer from the Bangladesh capital of Dhaka, came to New York City to speak at Ralph Lauren’s annual shareholder meeting on Thursday. She called for the company to join the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a worker safety pact that has gotten international attention since a factory complex collapsed in 2013, killing more than 1,100 people.

The tragedy helped focus global attention on the plight of the world’s garment workers, who often face abuse and unsafe conditions while earning rock-bottom wages.

Akter has a personal interest in getting Ralph Lauren to change: She once worked as a child laborer in some of Bangladesh’s forsaken textile factories. When she was just 11, Akter began working as a seamstress. By 15, she was trying to get workers to mobilize and form unions.

Read the full story at: Huffington Post