Campaigners say safety has improved but brands need to do more for workers’ rights and pay as survivors recount tragedy
has not yet been won, campaigners are warning on the 10th anniversary of the deadliest disaster in the garment industry’s history.collapse of a factory building
“Relentless union campaigning secured important safety protections for factory workers. But many non-factory workers do not have the same protections.” Husnara Akhtar, 30, recalled having breakfast with her husband, Abu Sufyan, before they made their way to work that day. “He always took four spoons of sugar with his tea and it drove me crazy,” she said, staring blankly at her own cup as she spoke.
Called the accord on fire and building safety in Bangladesh, it legally bound fashion brands to help pay for safety inspections and remediation in the country’s clothing industry. To date, there have been nearly 56,000 safety inspections across more than 2,400 garment factories in Bangladesh and more than 140,000 safety improvements made.
Wreaths are laid at a monument near the site of the Rana Plaza building on the ninth anniversary of the disaster.However, campaigners say some big multinationals including Levi’s, Gap, Walmart and Amazon have yet to sign up to the Bangladesh factory safety deal. Walmart said it remained committed to sourcing from factories that maintained safe working environments. The US retailer signed up to the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. After the dissolution of the alliance came the formation of Nirapon, a self-regulatory body that aims to regulate factories but does not have legally binding commitments.
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