'UDITA' follows a turbulent half decade in the lives of women on the front line in the garment workers struggle. From 2010, when organising in the workplace would lead to beatings, sacking and arrests, through the tragedies of Tazreen and Rana Plaza, and to the present day, when the long fight has begun to pay dividends. We see this vital period through the eyes of the unions' female members, workers and leaders.
Udita, the struggle of garment workers in Bangladesh
In Udita (Arise), the Bangladeshi women and men who work in the garment industry tell us how difficult it is to live on a salary paid by a factory that belongs to the most important economic lung of their country. Directors Hannan Majid and Richard York film for over five years since 2010 the evolution of trade union struggles to eradicate labor exploitation and raise awareness of the basic labor rights for the country's four million textile workers.
Going directly to the heart of its purpose, the documentary evade silences and show us from the beginning the sound of life and struggle: the livid speeches of union leaders, the chants of those marching for labor rights, the sordid noises that emanate from the textile machines inside a factory and the sincere testimony of those who work in them. These testimonies focus primarily on working women, for whom garment factories generally represent the only opportunity for formal employment.