Displaying items by tag: Bangladesh
Global Breakthrough as 31 Retail Brands sign up to Bangladesh Factory Safety Deal
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
- The world’s leading retail labels commit to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh before the midnight deadline.
- The Accord now covers more than 1000 Bangladeshi garment factories. Implementation starts now!
- GAP, Asda Walmart, Arcadia and Debenhams yet to sign.
A powerful alliance with leading unions IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union, the Clean Clothes Campaign and Worker Rights Consortium, supported by campaigns run by, among others, Avvaz, War on Want, Change.org and People and Planet have changed the rules of the game for workers in Bangladesh.
We welcome the decision of those companies who have signed up to the Accord and commend them for acting responsibly in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza tragedy. Forty-eight hours ago H&M started the ball rolling and we now have most major global household brands on board.
As the countdown ended the following companies have signed on: H&M, Inditex, C&A, PVH, Tchibo, Tesco, Marks & Spencer, Primark, El Corte Inglés, Hess Natur, jbc, Mango, Carrefour, KiK, Helly Hansen, G-Star, Aldi, New Look, Next, Mothercare, Loblaws, Sainsbury’s, Benetton, N Brown Group, Stockmann, WE Group, Esprit, Rewe, Lidl, Switcher and Abercrombie&Fitch.
Sam Maher from Labour Behind the Label (representing the CCC in the UK) says: 'The fact that so many brands have signed the legally enforceable safety Accord that has unions and workers at the centre will bring historic change in the Bangladeshi industry. This agreement will mean workers no longer have to fear for their lives each time they enter their factory. We regret that a number of companies including Gap, Walmart, Matalan and Arcadia have not yet signed the Accord. We strongly encourage them to reconsider their position.
IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary, Jyrki Raina says, 'The companies who signed up are to be applauded. H&M showed the way by being the first to sign this week. We will not close the door on brands who want to join the Accord after the deadline but we will be forging ahead with the implementation plan from today. Those who want to join later will not be in a position to influence decisions already made. The train moves on and these companies will drive the process – there can be no uncommitted passengers because the stakes are too high. We are talking improving the working conditions and lives of some of the most exploited workers in the world, earning $38 a month in dangerous conditions.'
UNI Global Union General Secretary, Philip Jennings says, 'We made it! This accord is a turning point. We are putting in place rules that mark the end of the race to the bottom in the global supply chain.
Commenting on the no-shows Jennings said, “Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, is out of step. By not signing up the Walmart brand sinks to a new low. We will go forward without them.'
In agreeing to the binding programme of fire and building safety reforms based on independent inspections, worker-led health and safety committees and union access to factories, signatories commit to underwrite improvements in dangerous factories and properly confront fire safety and structural problems. Importantly the Accord grants workers the right to refuse dangerous work, in line with ILO Convention 155.
Spring 2013 Action Card
In the Action Card we are calling for long-awaited severance pay to be given to workers at PT Kizone and for Edinburgh Woollen to step up to ensuring safety in their supply chains.
Tazreen fire: tell EWM to act now!
On November 24th 2012 112 garment workers were killed when fire ripped through their factory, Tazreen Fashions. Many of the workers jumped to their deaths trying to escape from the six story building, others, unable to escape the blaze, were burned alive. Up to 300 workers were hurt in the fire, 48 of which are suffering from long term injuries. These workers were employed by Tazreen Fashions to make clothing for a host of international brands, including C&A, Walmart and the British clothing retailer Edinburgh Woollen Mill.
The families of the dead and injured workers are now struggling to survive. The loss of the income provided by these workers, the stress and grief from losing a family member and unexpected costs of medical treatment have left them devastated. Bangladesh unions have calculated that, according to international standards, each family that has lost a wage earner is entitled to £33,000 in compensation for pain and suffering and for loss of income. This money will not bring back their loved one, but it will enable them to start rebuilding their lives.
C&A and Li and Fung have contributed some financial support but this falls far below what is needed. Walmart has terminated the relationship with the supplier which had subcontracted to Tazreen without authorisation, but has done nothing to help the families of those killed. Edinburgh Woollen Mill has, to date, refused to accept any responsibility for these families and has not contributed a penny of compensation.
It doesn’t have to be so difficult: in January 2013 a fire killed eight workers at the Smart Export factory, located close to Tazreen. Within a month two brands sourcing from this factory had negotiated a compensation package with local unions. They illustrate that brands can take responsibility when the worst happens.
TAKE ACTION NOW! Send an email to Edinburgh Woollen Mill and call on them to take responsibility for Tazreen workers!
Bangladesh factory fire: brands accused of criminal negligence
The Clean Clothes Campaign, along with trade unions and labour rights organisations in Bangladesh and around the world is calling for immediate action from international brands following yesterday's fire in Dhaka Bangladesh, which cost the lives over one hundred garment workers.
Bulletin 37 Spring/Summer 2012
Includes:-
Playfair 2012: New reports; pressure on International Olympic Committee; New research into Sandblasting; International updates; The Six Items Challenge.
Bangladesh: Labour rights activist tortured and killed
Aminul Islam, a Bangladeshi labor rights activist and former apparel worker was tortured and murdered last week in Dhaka. His body was dumped outside of the capital city and was found by local police last Thursday. According to the police report, Aminul Islam's body bore signs of brutal torture. It is most likely that Aminul was murdered because of his labour rights work.
Bangladesh: One year on from tragic fire more workers die
The death of two more garment workers in Bangladesh has led to campaigners renewing calls for urgent action to address safety issues in the Bangaldesh garment industry.
Steps towards Sustainability in Fashion: Snapshot Bangladesh
This publication presents three case studies, alongside ideas of how to use them in fashion education, to illustrate different ways sustainability is being approached and interpreted in Bangladesh by diverse companies.
This item is available to download or to order.
Trial against Bangladeshi labour rights activists approaches
Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter from LBL partner organisation, Bangladesh Workers Solidarity Centre, are due to appear in court later this month after a judge ruled their cases should be processed under a speedy trial system. Labour Behind the Label believes there is strong evidence that these cases have been fabricated and is calling on Walmart, a major buyer from one of the factories involved, to get the charges against them dropped.
BANGLADESH: 28 garment workers killed in factory fire
At least 28 more Bangladeshi garment workers have died and dozens more have been injured after a fire broke out on the 14th December 2010. The blaze ripped through the 9th and 10th floors of the “That's It Sportswear Ltd” factory located 16 miles from the capital Dhaka.
