TSSU MMC in solidarity with Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Workers of Bangladesh

TSSU Membership Mobilization Committee (MMC) along with the Asian Canadian Labor Alliance (ACLA) BC and Vancouver Committee for Domestic Care Workers and Caregivers Rights (CDWCR) stands in solidarity with Ready-Made Garments (RMG) Workers of Bangladesh in their fight for a living wage. As an union with an international membership, we are well aware of the struggles of Garments Workers to win a dignified standard of living given the cost of living crisis in Bangladesh. We categorically condemn the use of state violence and mass arrests to stifle worker’s protests and job actions.

As graduate students and workers who are also grappling with the cost of living crisis, we understand the importance of having a living wage in an era where inflation has skyrocketed. A living wage is not one which merely keeps up with inflation but rather is meant to be the level of income that enables workers to cover the cost of food, housing, and living costs for their families. This makes the monthly Minimum Wage of USD 113 (BDT 12,500) set by the Bangladesh Minimum Wage board insufficient and its prior offer of USD 94 (BDT 10,400) insulting. With inflation hovering in between 5-7% over the past 5 years and Monthly Average Inflation hitting 9.3%, these increases are not sufficient to cover the cost of living for a family of 4 after 5 years of stagnant wages.

The demand of BDT 23,000 by Garments Workers Unions is on the lower end of what can be considered as a living wage. Reports by the Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies and Microfinance Opportunities studies estimate the living wage to be between BDT 21,000-BDT 26000.* This means that the worker’s demands are reasonable in terms of getting them closer to a living wage.

We were heartened to see the display of solidarity and worker power in the protests by various labor organizations through November 2023. Even after the minimum wage was increased to BDT 10,400, the RMG Workers maintained their principled stance for a living wage by continuing to stand strong in protest leading to the subsequent increase to BDT 12,500. Simultaneously, we were shocked to see the use of violence to stifle these protests by the police and even the Bangladesh Border Guard.

We condemn the use of mass arrests of protesters and the mass sentencing to intimidate labor organizations. As part of the larger Canadian labor movement, we demand the immediate release of all those who have been jailed unfairly whilst protesting for living wages.

Finally, we call on other labor unions in Canada to stand in solidarity with not only the RMG workers but also examine the role of Canadian companies in extending the exploitation of these workers. It is important to recognize that as Canadian consumers, our consumption of RMG at low prices makes us complicit in the exploitation of Bangladeshi garment workers and keeping their wages low. As such, TSSU MMC commits to not only reach out to other unions to show their support for RMG workers but also to examine ways to pressure Canadian companies buying RMG made in Bangladesh to pay fair prices.

*Microfinance Opportunities estimates this to be BDT 21,900-BDT 26,300 in July 2023 and Bangladesh Institute of Labor Studies estimates it to be between BDT 21,900 to BDT 26,300 in January 2023.

TSSU MMC deeply concerned by criminalization of dissent in Toronto

We, the TSSU Membership Mobilization Committee (MMC), are deeply concerned about the violent arrests of Toronto-based organizers on the 22nd of November, as well as the serious nature of the charges against them. These charges represent a blatant attempt to criminalize dissent and protect Canada’s billionaire class from political criticism.

Seven people were violently arrested from their homes before dawn on Wednesday, November 22nd and four others were arrested on other days. The group included one faculty member and several teaching assistants at York University. The Breach reported that this operation likely cost the police nearly a million dollars. The crime that demanded this aggressive response? Allegedly putting up posters outside an Indigo Books franchise that highlighted the CEO’s funding of a non-profit that supports the Israeli military.

Indigo is Canada’s largest bookstore chain. Heather Reisman, the CEO, is a billionaire who co-founded and continues to support the non-profit HESEG Foundation, which “offers scholarships to foreigners to encourage them to join the Israeli army and continue their studies in Israel.” In general terms, it recruits Canadian mercenaries to fight for the Israeli military, tax-free.

These arrests are a blatant attempt to silence criticism not just of Israel, but of Canada’s capitalist class. The criminalization of this kind of political speech represents a drastic overreach and signals a huge threat to our rights as workers to challenge the country’s wealthiest business owners. As a union, we cannot stand by as the state tilts the balance even further away from us.

It is especially concerning to us that the arrests resulted in the suspension of workers at York University, denying them due process. Freedom of speech and academic freedom are values TSSU holds in highest regard and need to be protected. Universities have a responsibility to speak up against the atrocities committed by Israel. Even more so after the murder of Professor Sufyan Tayeh, head of the Islamic University of Gaza, by the Israeli occupation forces on Saturday, December 2nd.

The Palestinian liberation movement represents one of the strongest challenges to imperialist and capitalist hegemony in recent decades. It is uniting oppressed people around the world in their shared struggle for freedom. It comes as no surprise that the state is responding with political repression at a scale not seen since the height of the “red scare.” The red scare in Canada culminated in Quebec’s Padlock Act in the 1930s and saw scores of innocent people arrested, lose their jobs, and be socially ostracized for their social justice work.

We stand in solidarity with our comrades in Toronto. We call for the charges to be dropped immediately. We call for an investigation to be launched into how a violent raid against non-violent activists accused only of postering got approved in the first place. And we call for York University to reverse the suspensions of the teaching assistants and faculty facing these allegations. We continue to stand with the Palestinian liberation movement and call on all unions to join in calling for a free Palestine and immediate an end to the targeting of Gaza’s civilian population.

TSSU Executive in solidarity with academic worker union organizers at UCSD

The Teaching Support Staff Union (TSSU) Executive Committee at Simon Fraser University stands in solidarity with the academic workers at University of California, San Diego (UCSD), who went on strike for six weeks along with 50,000 other workers across the University of California system to win a contract that includes substantial wage increases and new workplace bullying, harassment, and migrant worker protections. After UCSD signed the contract with the union, the University administration refused to implement it and instead retaliated against union organizers in a series of punishments and arrests. A month after 60 UCSD academic workers peacefully took the stage holding signs at the 44th UCSD Alumni Awards on May 5th to protest the University’s refusal to implement the contract, the University charged 59 attendees on the registration list with “physical assault,” “physical abuse and threats to health and safety,” and “disruption of university activities.” Over half of the accused workers deny ever being present at the event. More recently, the University police arrested two UCSD graduate student workers and one post-doctorate, and held them in custody for over 12 hours for writing “Living Wage Now” on the sidewalk in chalk. They are now facing felony charges for conspiracy and vandalism.

We deplore the UCSD Administration’s violent retaliation against academic workers for peacefully protesting and using chalk (an impermanent and easily washable medium) on the campus sidewalk. TSSU has its own history with retaliation from Simon Fraser University administration for writing messages in chalk, and we stand side-by-side with workers across the academic community who must endlessly fight to gain and protect every single right while constantly facing retaliatory violence and punishment. Workers have the right to organize and collectively bargain, and that right should be upheld and protected at all times. Peaceful protest and demonstration are vital tools for bringing attention to the issues faced by workers, and we condemn any retaliation against workers for exercising their rights. As William Schneider, a graduate researcher at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, says, “This is…very clearly part of a larger coordinated crackdown of union activities across the UC.”

UCSD continues to refuse to implement key aspects of their new contract, while Pradeep Khosla, the UCSD Chancellor, received a $500,000 salary increase just to stay in his role at the University. It is clear where UCSD’s priorities lie. With unwavering support for the academic worker union organizers at UCSD, we call on the University leadership to immediately drop the charges against the academic worker organizers and immediately implement the contract to which they are legally bound.

In solidarity,

The Teaching Support Staff Union Executive