#PAYUP CAMPAIGN: WHY IS IT THE TALK OF THE TOWN?
Approximately 1089 Garment Factories
in Bangladesh have had orders worth roughly
$1.5 billion cancelled due to the coronavirus outbreak.
In these unprecedented times when the whole world is shaken by the outbreak of the novel Coronavirus, unparalleled dangers loom over the garment industry in all their dire enormity such as the cancellation of orders, extensive worker layoffs, furloughs and unpaid wages that has brought the fast moving Fashion Industry to a standstill and has once again exposed the not-so-glamorous side of the world of Fashion.
In a majority of factories, brands have cancelled completed and in-process orders and most factories had to close down and let go of workers without pay. Among the factories experiencing cancellations, 91.3% of buyers refused to pay for sewing, and about three-fourths refused to pay for fabric. The #PayUp movement brings together labour rights groups and individual activists to urge ALL brands and retailers to protect garment workers impacted by the coronavirus.
Among the groups pressuring brands to #PayUp are Remake, the Clean Clothes Campaign, Labour Behind the Label, the International Labor Rights Forum, and the United Students Against Sweatshops, and Extinction Rebellion.