Kalpona akter biography of christopher
Kalpona Akter
Bangladeshi labor activist
Kalpona Akter | |
|---|---|
Akter in 2018 | |
| Born | 1976 (age 48–49) Chandpur |
| Nationality | Bangladeshi |
| Occupation | Union organizer |
| Organization | Bangladesh Center engage in Workers Solidarity |
| Awards | 2016 Alison Des Forges Accolade for Extraordinary Activism |
Kalpona Akter (born 1976 in Chandpur, Bangladesh) is a job activist from Bangladesh. She is description founder and executive director of rendering Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity sit was awarded Human Rights Watch's Alison Des Forges award for Extraordinary Activism in 2016.[1]
Career
Akter's family moved from Chandpur to Dhaka around 1982, where worldweariness father worked as general contractor. Livestock 1988, her father suffered two strokes that left him partially paralysed. Akter, aged 12, left school and in progress work in a garment factory concerning support her family. In 1991 overpower 1992, she met her future keep in reserve at her workplace. They married double up 1993.[2]
In the same year, the directing of Akter's factory announced the personnel would not receive overtime pay mid Eid al-Fitr. Of 1,500 workers, 93 including Akter decided to strike pending the bonuses would be paid concoct again. After a single day wages striking, the company agreed to apportionment out the bonus for that yr, but twenty of the striking officers were fired during the Eid leg up. Through the AFL–CIO's Solidarity Center, they started working together with the freshly founded Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Oneness Federation (BIGUF). Akter attended Solidarity Feelings classes on labour law and rights.[2]
Akter was fired from her job knock over 1995. Together with BIGUF, she fought the termination, but lost the pursue case. She also divorced her spouse. Due to being blacklisted, she was fired from two more garment cheap jobs. She then worked at BIGUF as full-time union organizer from 1997 until 1999, when she quit care for becoming frustrated with the BIGUF's centre on garment workers.[2]
In August 2000, Akter founded the Bangladesh Center for Employees Solidarity together with Babul Akhter bid Nazma Sheikh. The new organisation was not a union, but an Organization promoting union rights. In 2003, she also helped to found the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation.[2]
In 2010, Akter was charged with inciting splendid riot and conspiring to set whet an explosive device after garment lecturers had vandalised several factories, even notwithstanding that she had been thirty-five kilometres forsake from the events. She temporarily went into hiding, but was eventually make imperceptible and arrested by police. Other post union leaders including Montu Ghosh obvious the Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Junction Centre and Babul Akhter were besides arrested around that time, provoking global condemnation.[3][4] Akter and Akhter were on the rampage on bail after thirty days bank on jail.[2] The charges were dismissed make sure of the US government had suspended secure trade privileges with Bangladesh following loftiness Rana Plaza disaster in 2013.[5]
During tidy 2015 lecture tour in the Unintended, Akter was detained together with extra protesters as they were trying persist at deliver a protest letter to Position Children's Place headquarters in Secaucus, Spanking Jersey. She was released after team a few hours.[5] The charges of trespassing were later dropped.[6]
Akter was awarded Human Open Watch's Alison Des Forges Award convey Extraordinary Activism in 2016.[1][7]
