Concern that garment members were having their employment terminated unlawfully because of the impact of Covid-19 on the industry, prompted the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) to take action. With no social security nor savings because of their low wages, these mainly women workers had nothing to fall back on when they were laid off, so the union sought UnionAID support under a new project.
Through a range of initiatives by union staff and members funded by UnionAID, including organising, rallying outside factories, making submissions to authorities and taking legal cases, 31,313 workers from 89 factories received their legal entitlements, at an estimated cost of $US9.5 million. And at the same time, in spite of the challenging circumstances, 2,672 new members from eleven factories were recruited, boosting NGWF membership to 97,862.
