Despite a decline in the unemployment rate since 2014, a total of 54.5% of Rana Plaza survivors are currently unemployed, said a study conducted by ActionAid Bangladesh.
Among them, 89% have been without work for the past five to eight years, while 5.5% have been unemployed for the last three to four years, the study added.
These findings underline the survivors' persistent difficulties in finding sustainable work options, as well as the necessity for continued efforts to strengthen their economic security.
On the 10th anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, a multilogue titled “The Rana Plaza Experience: Tragedy to Transformation” was held in the capital on Tuesday.
The study was conducted on 200 survivors and families of the Rana Plaza tragedy where 69.5% were women and 30.5% were men.
The findings highlight several key points related to the current condition of the survivors, including their current physical health status, psychosocial well-being and financial status.
The study also found that the key reason for those who are currently unemployed is their physical health conditions, and the number has fallen from 67% to 47% from last year.
Moreover, 21% of respondents reported that they could not find a suitable job.
These findings suggest that physical health continues to be a significant barrier to employment for many survivors, emphasizing the need for continued efforts to support their recovery and improve their access to employment opportunities.
According to the study, the proportion of survivors claiming to be completely stable has decreased from 17% in 2014 to 7.5% in 2023, while the percentage of respondents whose health has deteriorated over the year increased from 9% to 22.5% during the same period.
Industrial transformation
Another 200 current garment workers were assessed in this study for safety situations in their factories regarding the industrial transformation.
More than half of the respondents (52.2%) felt that the frequency of initiatives taken by factory management was inadequate.
A total of 93% of the respondents expressed concern about their health status and uncertainty about their ability to work in the long run and 60% of the respondents highlighted several risks present in their factory, including machinery problems, the absence of fire safety measures, inadequate ventilation and lighting, as well as a lack of health safety measures.
Around 80.1% of the respondents reported that their factories do not lack firefighting equipment, while 76.2% stated that emergency fire exits are available, though a number of experts said the staircases are abnormally narrow.
Moreover, 79.1% of respondents mentioned that their factories have a medical center, and a similar proportion (76.1%) indicated that there are doctors or nurses available on-site.
ActionAid Bangladesh's Country Director Farah Kabir said they did the survey this year and also looked at how Rana Plaza survivors were doing.
“There have been changes but many of them are suffering both physically and mentally. The most important thing is they have not been able to find economic opportunities to move on. Rana Plaza survivors need support to find an alternative livelihood,” she added.
Tuomo Poutiainen, Country Director, ILO Country Office for Bangladesh said that it is important to recognize the significant strides made in occupational safety and health in the garment industry following the Rana Plaza tragedy.
“The transformation should serve as a model for all industries, emphasizing the importance of creating a culture of safety where workers can freely express their concerns and employers' proactive measures to address them,” he added.
Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the government to implement the policies and regulations to ensure the safety of all workers, he also said.
Julia Jesmin, joint inspector general, Department of Inspection for Factories Establishments (DIFE), Rajekuzzaman Ratan, general secretary of Somajtantrik Sramik Front, Dr Wajedul Islam Khan, general secretary of Trade Union Centre and Harun Ur Rashid, a journalist at Deutsche Welle (DW) also spoke at the event.
