Workers unions and labour advocacy groups called on factory managers, governments and international apparel brands to protect garment workers amid a surge of the Delta variant in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

“It is untenable that Sri Lankan and Bangladeshi workers must choose between death and destitution,” they wrote in an open letter, signed by more than 50 groups. 

The groups advocated that garment workers be paid their full wages during lockdowns or when unable to work due to Covid-19 restrictions, as well as for expanded vaccination and testing within factories, among other health and labour protections.

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Fashion’s Humanitarian Crisis

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