This report focuses on violations of workers’ right to freedom of association in
the four target countries: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. It examines
the different ways in which workers are adversely affected by the restrictions on
the right to freedom of association by states and by their employers. It addresses
the legal and administrative burdens states have placed on workers trying to
organize to defend their rights, and the harassment and intimidation they face
from factory owners. It also highlights the failure of states to promote the rights
of garment workers, and the failure of states to protect these workers from antiunion
abuse, harassment and violence by employers. It touches on the role
of fashion brands and retailers in failing to support garment workers’ rights to
freedom of association, and the impact on workers of the long-standing, daily
denial of their rights.
