The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the government have missed the deadline set by the High Court to submit reports on compensation made to the Tazreen factory fire victims. This demonstrates that in spite of their rhetoric, neither the government nor BGMEA are taking the welfare of the garment industry particularly seriously.
July 18 was set as the deadline for the submission of reports on the compensation provided to the victims and for the DNA test reports of relatives of the people who went missing in the fire.
Unfortunately, the court received neither of these documents and it was forced to set a new deadline of July 28.
No concrete steps have been taken either against the owner of Tazreen, even though a government probe report on the incident found that he was guilty of “unpardonable neglect.” On the other hand, BGMEA has been repeatedly accused by rights groups of taking the side of the owners over the workers.
It is outrageous that almost eight months after the accident the government and BGMEA are still dragging their feet on the compensation of the victims. The fact that this is happening in the face of intense scrutiny and pressure from foreign donors and stakeholders defies logic.
The families of the victims of Tazreen have already suffered greatly and they deserve better than further unnecessary delays in getting their due. The nation also deserves better than to have the future of its most vital industry be jeopardised by the inaction of BGMEA and the government.
