Six months after the Rana Plaza collapse, the stakeholders are yet to disburse financial assistance and other benefits to the victims and their families.
The government and the organisations involved in garment business have failed to deliver on their much-talked-about promise of a compensation package for those affected by the tragedy.
However, the country has seen some determined individuals from different quarters, both at home and abroad, work tirelessly to bring relief to the families of the 1142 garment workers that were killed and more than 2500 injured who were injured.
On August 29 five months and six days after the April 24 tragedy, a high-powered committee formed on the instruction of the High Court recommended Tk1.951m in compensation for each of the apparel workers who died or went missing in the collapse based on worker’s basic salary, annual inflation, gratuity, pain and sufferings of victims.
The committee also proposed Tk1m each for a victim who lost one limb and Tk1.5m to Tk2m each for a victim who lost two limbs.
According to the committee’s findings, 221 injured were grievously injured and 150 would require long-term treatment. But the committee is yet to submit the report to the court as it is “fine-tuning” the proposal. After the report is submitted the HC will decide on the persons who will receive compensation.
The committee said that the financial help workers had received so far from the government, individuals and different organisations was not compensation.
Factory owners, building owner, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) or a government organisation responsible for ensuring safety in the factory will pay the compensation.
Reacting to the committee’s suggestion, leaders of the BGMEA, a trade group representing companies that operated in the collapsed building, said compensation of around Tk2m for each Rana Plaza victim was too high, as it would require a total outflow of over Tk3bn.
Meanwhile, the prime minister’s relief fund has so far disbursed Tk200m to 813 workers. 36 workers and their families have received Tk1m to 1.5m each as financial assistance, since they have been considered as crippled in the building collapse, while the rest have received Tk100,000-600,000 each.
A source at the BGMEA said about Tk1.27bn has so far been given to the fund by banks, insurance companies, individuals and garment owners.
Of the donors, Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB), a platform of bank owners, donated Tk800m while BGMEA donated only Tk20m.
A good number of survivors and family members of the deceased have not got anything from the fund. They have received some financial help from individuals and are struggling to survive.
Ashraful Islam, a 30-year-old survivor, was found sitting on a plastic chair in front of his rented two-room house at Radio Colony, some one and a half kilometres away from the site of the tragedy. He had to spend over four and a half months in two hospitals and five days in a physical rehabilitation centre to get treatment for his left leg and hand that were damaged in the Savar tragedy.
He wished he had died in the tragedy or lost a limb since it would have made him eligible to receive compensation. While his crippled co-workers have received financial help from various organisations, Asraful has received only Tk80,000 donated by some individuals.
“I was excluded from all compensation lists as I still had all my limbs,” he lamented.
Ashraful has a daughter of around six years old, who had to drop out of school since there was no money to pay her fees. His wife was a garment worker at Ashulia but she had to quit her job to take care of him.
“I can’t walk and my wife can’t go from person to person seeking financial assistance. In future I may be seen begging on streets.”
When contacted, BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim said, BGMEA cannot fix the compensation amount and direct the factory owners to disburse the amount.
“But every company has to provide insurance cover amounting to about Tk200,000 for each of the workers. And if the owner so desires, pay out some extra amount to the sufferers,” he said.
“Let’s see what the compensation committee comes up with,” the BGMEA official said.
Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar said the high-powered committee led by General Officer Commanding Savar Cantonment Maj Gen Hasan Shahid Suhrawardy will propose the final compensation package.
“They are working on it and the prime minister herself is supervising. Hopefully there will be a result soon.”
