Many workers in Bangladesh’s busy textile factories now have to deal with extreme heat on a regular basis. According to reports, five to seven workers pass out every day from intense heat during the blistering hot season, highlighting the serious health risks they confront. One employee talked about her experience of fainting, cramping in her muscles, vomiting and dizziness, all of which were made worse by her fear of taking breaks because of the demands of her job.
In Bangladesh, Cara Schulte, a doctorate candidate at the University of California, Berkeley, has interviewed more than fifty industrial workers impacted by severe temperatures as part of her research on the relationship between labour rights and climate change. Her research paints a disturbing picture of workers meeting demanding quotas for the global fashion industry while putting in long hours in dangerous conditions without proper access to cooling systems or water.
According to health specialists, Schulte’s paper, My Body is Burning: Climate Change, Extreme Heat, and Labour Rights in Bangladesh, emphasises the acute health hazards that workers encounter such as dehydration, chronic ailments and possible long-term health issues. Bangladesh, which is especially susceptible to the effects of climate change, experiences intense heat and excessive humidity, which further jeopardises its labour-intensive economy.
One of the employees Schulte spoke with, Raina, talked about her experience working of 10- to 14-hour shifts while pregnant and frequently passing out from heat exhaustion only to resume work soon after. This is indicative of a larger trend in which workers endure serious health consequences while multinational corporations profit from cheap labour costs without giving enough consideration to their welfare.
Recent research showing that the earth is witnessing historic temperature increase highlights the urgency of climate crisis. Low-income nations like Bangladesh are particularly affected since their residents frequently lack the resources to install air conditioning or take other adaptable steps to deal with the rising heat. This has serious health repercussions, as extended exposure to heat has been connected to serious illnesses like cardiovascular diseases and even higher death rates.
