Brussels, 24/04/2014 (Agence Europe) - One year on from the tragedy of Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, on Thursday 24 April, the Commission reported “significant progress” in improving levels of health and safety in the textiles industry in Bangladesh, and in promoting responsible conduct on the part of Western companies who sub-contract their production to the country. But it added that it expects “more”. An initial assessment of the progress made possible by the Sustainability Compact concluded in 2013 between the EU, the United States, the International Labour Organization (ILO), Bangladesh and the industry will be carried out in July of this year.
One year after the industrial complex of Rana Plaza in Savar, in the suburbs of the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, collapsed, killing 1,138 people and injuring 2,000 others on 24 April 2013, the EU reacted modestly on Thursday, whilst NGOs and unions spoke out against the attitude of Western clothing brands and the slowness or complete absence of compensation for the victims.
“The tragedy revealed serious shortcomings in the occupational safety and labour rights of Bangladeshi workers in the export-oriented ready-made garment industry. It had to be a turning point for safety and labour issues in Bangladesh” and it therefore gave rise to the “Sustainability Compact”, said John Clancy, spokesperson to Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht.
This multipartite initiative, which was launched on 8 July 2013 by the EU, the ILO and the Bangladeshi authorities, with the United States coming on board at a later date, aims to improve the safety and working conditions for workers in the ready-made clothing industry in Bangladesh and to promote social responsibility on the part of European and American companies involved in the supply chain in the country.
“The Sustainability Compact outlines concrete commitments. The actions that stem from them lead to improved levels of occupational safety and health and promote responsible business conduct and greater respect of labour rights, with a particular focus on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining”, explained Clancy, who went on to report “significant progress in these areas over the past months”, but added that “more must be done”. “Substantial progress on labour issues is important for Bangladesh's continued preferential access to the EU market. The EU remains ready to assist Bangladesh with its reforms and monitors the implementation of the Sustainability Compact. We will have a fuller assessment of the Sustainability Compact's achievements on its first anniversary in July this year”, he concluded.
In addition to a reform of employment law in Bangladesh, the Compact is based on actions to improve the safety of the buildings housing garment factories by June 2014, and the recruitment of 200 additional inspectors in 2013, to assess the working conditions in the factories, including safety, health and compliance with employment law.
Slow compensation. Also marking the anniversary of the tragedy, NGOs and unions criticised the attitude of the clothing labels and Western retail subsidiaries believed to have sub-contracted their production to Rana Plaza at various points in time, and spoke out against the slow speed and low levels of compensation. “The brands are failing workers a second time. First they failed to ensure the factories they bought from were safe, and now they are failing the survivors and the families of those who lost loved ones”, the NGO Clean Clothes Campaign said on Thursday. The NGO adds that so far, none of these victims has been properly compensated. The compensation fund for the victims has still not managed to raise the $40 million (€29 million) required. According to the NGOs, only half of the 29 brands which used the Rana Plaza factories have so far contributed. The only positive news is the fact that under pressure from the unions, the minimum wage for workers in the textile sector was raised by 76% in December 2013, to $68 a month (€50). (EH)