Apparel buyers have not committed yet to compensate the victims and their families of Rana Plaza collapse.
At least 1,129 garment workers were killed in the industrial disaster that took place in Savar six months ago.
Primark is the only brand, which has paid something to the victims and made promises to provide compensation for the victims as per requirement.
The IndustriALL and UNI are shocked that still after six months Primark is the only brand to have paid anything to the victims, said a statement on Thursday.
“Six months have gone but the victims did not get any compensation from any quarter. What they got so far are charity,” Ray Romesh Chandra, general secretary of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) told the Dhaka Tribune.
As per the ILO convention, compensation is a right for the workers and in that sense workers did not get compensation, he said. Ray termed the prime minister’s financial support to the victims as charity.
Till today, only Primark has given Tk30,000 each to 3,629 workers who worked at the Rana Plaza, and made commitment to provide compensation as per the laws, he added. “We’ve demanded Tk2.8m compensation for each worker. Of which, 45% would be paid by brands, 28% by factory owners, 18% by BGMEA and 9% by the government.”
He said they (workers) would stage demonstration in front of the brand shops, including Walmart, if they do not take effective measures to compensate victims by November.
“Consumers will be shocked that almost a half-year has passed since the Rana Plaza disaster with only one brand so far providing any compensation to the victims. I respect those brands that came to these meetings. But I cannot understand brands that are not around the table,” “IndustriALL Global Union Assistant General Secretary Monika Kemperle after a meeting in Geneva that held on victim’s compensation last month.
The stance of the buyers to compensation has been varied, some refuse to engage, others vehemently deny a connection and some deny responsibility because their production ended some time ago or was outsourced to Rana Plaza without their knowledge, said UNI Global Union general secretary Philip Jennings.
“We made a request to the buyers to stand by us to help workers, but they did not provide any financial support to compensate,” said BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim. Though they assured us to consider the issue but did not keep their speech, he added.
Meanwhile, International Labour Organisation (ILO) launched a US$24.21m initiative, including a new Better Work programme, to improve the working condition in the readymade garment industry in Bangladesh.
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, a platform of 101 retailers and the North American Alliance are working to improve fire and safety and training to skill workers but they did not make any compensation deal for the workers.
Eleven of the brands and retailers sourcing from the factories involved in the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters joined high-level compensation meetings, facilitated by the ILO as a neutral chair, on September 11-12 in Geneva.
