Women pulled from factory rubble forced to take vacation days

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

Last edited Sat May 11, 2013, 11:50 AM - Edit history (1)

Reshma Begum, the 19-year-old factory worker who survived 17 days buried in the rubble of her collapsed workplace has been advised that she must use vacation days to "reimburse the company."

"Time off is time off," said an anonymous spokesperson for the factory, which supplied garments to many western retailers. "You can't expect the company to pay her for time when she's not working. That would just kill our bottom line."

For 17 days, the woman, a seamstress, lay trapped in a dark basement pocket beneath thousands of tons of wreckage as temperatures outside climbed into the mid-30s Celsius (mid-90s Fahrenheit). She rationed food and water. She banged a pipe to attract attention. She was fast losing hope of ever making it out alive.

"Don't get me wrong," said the spokesman, "we're glad that she's alive. But she has to know that there's no such thing as a free lunch."

"Damn," said Begum upon learning that she had no vacation time left for the year. "I was really hoping to spend a week in Vegas with my college girlfriends."



Note: This is, of course, sarcasm. Factory workers in Bangladesh don't get vacation pay.

[BeyondGeography]

1. The Onion is calling

Quite (appallingly) good.

[rurallib]

2. Damn - almost sent it on - because it could happen

I have a close friend who fell at a business and did some painful damage to her head, nose and arms. She has not been able to work for the past month.

She was informed by her job that if she is not back to work after using all her sick and vacation days, she will be terminated. That is after 41 years at the same job. 41 years! She only has 5 to go to retirement.
And there is no wiggle room.

[flying rabbit]

10. has she looked into the

family medical leave act? FMLA might be able to help depending on her circumstances.

[rurallib]

18. that is part of the time off they figured in

She has been given numbers to lawyers for when the time gets close. I doubt she and her husband have much money to pay lawyers fees.

[stevenleser]

19. It wont help her because she is not in the United States. nt

[flying rabbit]

23. How do you know she is not in the United States?

[stevenleser]

26. Op says Bangladesh

[uppityperson]

30. The OP is satire. This subthread is about someone else. Nt

[heaven05]

17. what company?

I will, if using product or service, BOYCOTT. Any lawyers to help this person?

[rurallib]

20. It is a locally owned turkey processing plant

I doubt if you have ever heard of it - their big customer is Walmart. So if you are like me, you are already boycotting.
As far as lawyers go, she has been given the names of a couple of lawyers to call when time gets close. I doubt they have the money to pay for an attorney so ............
They had a union vote at their plant about five years ago and lost so no help there either.

[heaven05]

22. walmart

it figures.

[Junkdrawer]

3. Sad thing is that's almost plausible....

And I don't doubt for a second outrages as bad or worse DO go on.

[zerosumgame0005]

12. I could honestly see Ryan or McCain

putting up a bill just like that...

[newfie11]

4. Damn they must be republicans too

No free lunch for her by golly!

[backscatter712]

5. We're in Poe territory here! n/t

[SheilaT]

6. When Titanic sank, all the crew who survived

were immediately taken off payroll, as of the time the ship sank. Many crewmembers needed aid from charities to return home to England.

When National Airport in Washington DC shut down on September 11, 2001, airline employees were immediately placed on furlough.

It's an honored tradition to stop paying workers in various circumstances beyond their control.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

7. Dang

I guess satire really is dead.

[Cleita]

9. No it isn't. We get the satire. You just opened up some points

that lead to a serious conversation.

[musette_sf]

14. And don't forget that the Bishop Willard campaign

pulled the plug before the Defeat Wake had ended on 11/6/12.

[Cleita]

8. I do hope that have some good ambulance chasing lawyers there who will

sue those building and factory owners into oblivion. Also, our garment contractors here in the US like Wal-Mart also need to have a big class action suit thrown on them on behalf of the workers, both survivors and deceased. They should not be allowed to get away with it. Any legal eagles here stateside? You should get on it.

[mountain grammy]

11. It's a sad day for workers when, for about 2 seconds, I actually believed this was true.

Then I thought, mmmm, 17 vacation days? No way!

[perdita9]

13. Unfortunately, this is not all that farfetched

[Flying Squirrel]

31. Yes it is.

Vacation days for Bangladeshi workers? Heh.

But if it had happened in America, yes you're right.

[hughee99]

15. Why? She was at work the whole time. n/t

[Politicalboi]

27. LOL!

They should pay her for being there when no one else was. LOL! Although you could charge her for her rescue. The people couldn't stand the pounding on the pipes one minute longer, so they went in to see what was causing the noise. And there she was.

[Warren DeMontague]

35. Yeah, but she was loafing.

Did she make any shirts while she was trapped under that rubble? No, she did not.

[heaven05]

16. I

was JUST about to go into a LONG, VITUPERATIVE rant. Thanks onion I needed this.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

21. The saddest thing about your post

it would NOT surprise me that it might even be (unintentionally) true

[Brigid]

24. First, I saw the title and gasped.

Then I started wondering about garment workers in Bangladesh having vacation days. Then I clicked on the thread so I could look for an "Onion" link, and found none. Well played, sir. Well played.

[Jeff In Milwaukee]

34. Thank you (nt)

[Liberal_in_LA]

25. k&r

[Mopar151]

28. Seasonal layoffs are traditional in the apparel business

I grew up in shoe shop and mill towns in New England. When the shoe orders ship for the spring season in early December, the bosses lay the "help" off - no turkey, no holiday pay, and a slip to sign up for your Christmas "bonus" at Unemployment.
Tightwad small employers like to do "shutdown" when they are on vacation/holiday, so's the help doesn't clean the place out while they're away, and they don't have allow for vacation days much the rest of the year.

[smirkymonkey]

29. No F**ing way!

That is absolutely ridiculous.

[Flying Squirrel]

32. Of course it is.

Even in America nobody gets that many Vacation days anymore. A Bengladeshi worker with vacation? Ya... no.

[Enrique]

33. Onion-worthy

actually if this was the Onion it would be an especially good one.

[Taverner]

36. I Was gonna say...

LOL