ABSTRACT Across garment factories in the Global South, the promise of “ethical fashion” coexists with poverty wages and retaliation. This study examines why the global call for decent work has not improved labor conditions in Bangladesh's ready‐made garment industry. Twelve semistructured interviews with production workers were thematically analyzed through Critical Theory and Labor Process Theory. Five persistent problems emerged: wage manipulation, audit and compliance evasion, silencing of worker voice, restrictions on mobility, and the disposal of older workers. A single positive theme, workplace safety and child‐labor prevention, showed limited progress. Overall, sustainability rhetoric remains symbolic while buyer cost pressures drive exploitation. The study urges brands to support living wages, adopt worker‐centered audits, and sign binding agreements protecting freedom of association, while policymakers lower union barriers and expand worker welfare. By centering worker voices, the research highlights the gap between global sustainability commitments and local factory realities.
Md. Rafiqul Islam Rana (Sun,) studied this question.