Canadian company Loblaw Cos Ltd on Tuesday further outlined plans to create better protections for garment workers in Bangladesh, as well as reaffirm a company commitment to remain in the country, reports online news agency globalnews.ca.
“Our approach is a combination of actions specific to Loblaw and some related to our participation in broader initiatives,” Robert Chant, senior vice-president of corporate affairs at the country’s largest food retailer, said.
The plan includes direct financial assistance to injured workers and families of Rana Plaza – though Loblaw has yet to specify how much it will spend; rehabilitation efforts for injured workers, as well as a joint program with Save the Children Canada and Save the Children Bangladesh to “provide life skills and workplace support for garment industry workers and their families,” the company said.
Chant was appearing before Canadian parliamentary standing committee in Ottawa, which heard from Loblaw among other retailers in the wake of the collapse of a building named Rana Plaza in Dhaka’s outskirt Savar, that housed several readymade garments factories, that killed more than 1,100 workers last month.
Garments from Loblaw’s Joe Fresh discount fashion brand were discovered in the rubble of Rana Plaza and the company quickly acknowledged a relationship with a vendor using the plant, which was in breach of multiple building violations when it collapsed.
Chant said it isn’t industry practice to audit the structural integrity of facilities used by companies it buys from, but “clearly, it should be.”
Parliamentarians sitting on the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development were told of a three-pronged relief programme Loblaw is putting in place to aid recovery efforts.
The company also reaffirmed its commitment to a pact with other international retailers such as Benetton and H&M, among others, to have Western firms source garments from regularly inspected individual factories, and to make the reports public. Restoration costs on factories would be covered by the group, with each member contributing $500,000 annually to the effort.
The agreement, called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, is a five-year, legally-binding contract between the major retailers.
Chant said Loblaw remains firmly committed to keeping production in Bangladesh.
There are roughly four million textile workers in Bangladesh right now, and nearly 80% are women.
Chant echoed international studies and reports that suggest working in the textile industry empowers women, giving them a bigger voice in family affairs and raising their position in society.
“That’s why we have committed to keep our apparel production in Bangladesh,” the Loblaw executive said.
In later questioning, another reason was given by the company executive – the high quality of garments produced in the country, Chant said, noting it wasn’t price alone that formed the business case for being there. “The combination of two is where the magic is,” Chant said.