Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Robert Menendez said western customers would not buy clothes that are stained with the blood of Bangladeshi workers.
“The BGMEA and the Bangladeshi authorities must understand this simple message,” Menendez said in a statement issued on the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
He also urged the Bangladesh government and the BGMEA to take immediate and concerted steps to end the suppression of fledgling trade unions formed by garment workers.
“If the BGMEA and the government of Bangladesh do not take immediate steps to end the suppression of fledgling unions, it is only a matter of time before another large-scale tragedy hits Bangladesh’s garment industry and the ‘made in Bangladesh’ brand is tarnished beyond repair,” the US official said.
The senator said without the strong voice of an independent factory union, workers have no mechanism to ensure their own safety.
In the statement, Menendez said the International Labour Organisation has initiated its largest ever safe factories programme in Bangladesh and has coordinated safety inspections as well as compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza.
“International retailers have taken important initial steps to address the safety of buildings and workers in Bangladesh,” he added.
Loblaw satisfied with Rana Plaza response
Canada’s largest retailer Loblaw Companies Limited has said it is pleased with the unprecedented coordination – between it and a small number of other retailers – to account for the very real human and financial costs of the Rana Plaza collapse.
The company, which had some of its Joe Fresh clothing line manufactured at Rana Plaza, has also said it is proud to have been a contributing voice in the Rana Plaza response and its unfolding legacy related to factory safety.
This came in a statement issued by the Canadian company on the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar.
“We continue to believe that the economy and manufacturing communities of Bangladesh benefit from our presence, attention and long-term commitment. Over the past twelve months, Loblaw has worked with individuals, the industry, the government, NGOs and the International Labour Organisation to respond to the human tragedy of Rana Plaza and to improve the standards that will define and protect the safety of workers from here forward,” reads the statement.
“We have become a lead contributor in the financial response to this
tragedy, having committed $5 million for local relief and compensation,” it adds.
Loblaw says in its view, the collective industry response to the Rana Plaza collapse has taken too long and various necessary steps have yet to be taken.
“Further, based on the initial compensation model – calculated on a shared basis between government, industry and brands – Loblaw, as one of the top contributing organisations, is contributing more than its share.”
ILO official terms it ‘shame’
ILO Deputy Director General for Field Operations and Partnerships Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo has said the delay in compensating the families of the Rana Plaza victims and survivors is a shame for all the stakeholders.
“It is very hard, very difficult to speak here today and say that the victims still cannot be adequately compensated. That will be a shame for all of us,” he said while addressing a programme at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital on Thursday.
Stating that much has been done following the tragedy, the ILO official said: “Now the factory inspections must be completed, compensation claims processed and the labour law implemented in full.”
