An ILO video featuring three young women trade union leaders has gone viral on YouTube. The 3.45 minute advocacy film tells the inspiring story of the trio who collectively organised themselves to form a trade union.
Ruma Akte is one of Bangladesh's approximately four million garment workers. She is a working mother with a young son, and she is the leader of one of Bangladesh's newly-registered trade unions. Spurred on by the stream of horrific incidents happening in garment factories around her, and inspired by television talk shows watched in small tea stands, she started gathering workers together last year. It has taken about six months, but the Welltex Sromik (Workers) Union is now formally registered and has almost 500 members - and the changes in the factory are visible to everyone.
Source: ILO