Commemorate Rana Plaza by preventing the next disaster, says Clean Clothes Campaign

Labour unions and NGOs are calling for a binding international safety agreement that would guarantee the safety of factory workers to mark the eighth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 22 April 2021, 01:47 PM
Updated : 22 April 2021, 01:47 PM

In a statement, the Clean Clothes Campaign, or CCC, has called for people to commemorate the tragedy by preventing a similar disaster from occurring in the future.

As many as 1,135 people were killed and over 2,500 injured after Rana Plaza, an eight-storey building housing five garment factories in Savar, collapsed on Apr 24, 2013.

“The Rana Plaza collapse is the worst industrial disaster the garment industry has ever seen and it was entirely preventable,” the organisation said in a statement.

“Workers were forced to enter a building they knew was unsafe under threat of losing their wages.”

The disaster hit global headlines, highlighting concerns about the safety of Bangladesh’s factories and their working conditions and forcing the government and factory owners to take action.

One of these actions was the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, an independent agreement to build a safe and healthy garment industry that was signed by over 200 brands and covering over 1,600 factories.

The Accord is set to come to an end on May 31 and according to CCC, no brands or retailers have signed a new legally enforceable agreement to protect the health and safety of workers.

"The Rana Plaza incident was a homicide rather than an accident,” said Kalpona Akter, president of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation.

“This preventable disaster would not have happened with adequate safety measures and a strong monitoring system with the inclusion of workers' voices. The Bangladesh Accord has introduced and implemented these in the past eight years. If we want to prevent another Rana Plaza and sustain the positive changes, then we need a new Accord agreement to be signed by all brands sourcing from Bangladesh."

The CCC says a new agreement is necessary because much work remains to be done in the sector.

It says that over 1,200 factories supplying Accord brands have yet to verify the installation of a proper fire alarm and there are no guaranteed safe exit routes in over 900 factories.

“Eight years since this disaster it is concerning to see brands advocating for the same voluntary self-monitoring model that failed the Rana Plaza workers in the first place,” said CCC spokesperson Ineke Zeldenrust.

“It is vital that brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh ensure that the one major achievement that came out of this disaster is not lost. There are five weeks to go until the Accord agreement runs out, but the first Accord came about in only three. Brands can make it happen if they want to."

The CCC statement also noted other labour concerns, such as the lack of insurance for workplace injuries.

“Most victims of occupational injuries and deaths remain uncompensated as negligent employers refuse to pay even the paltry amounts prescribed by our labour law,“ said Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust spokesperson Taqbir Huda.

“Today is as good a day as any to recognise that liability for occupational injuries should be spread fairly across the global supply chain, and not just limited to contractual employers within the confines of national territories…”

The CCC has also launched a website (RanaPlazaNeverAgain.org), where people can leave messages to commemorate the Rana Plaza tragedy.