Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN) – Italian Benetton Group SpA has agreed to contribute an unspecified amount to a fund established to compensate victims of the 2013 Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh.
“The amount of this additional contribution will be made official as soon as the independent third party will communicate its conclusions, in the next few weeks and in any case no later than April 24, 2015,” the Group said in a statement on Friday.
Additionally, this second, further initiative by Benetton Group in support of the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy and their families is part of a broader program of further social engagement by the Group, the details of which will be announced in the coming days, it added.
“We are pleased that at long last Benetton has promised to pay into the Rana Plaza Trust Fund. Now, it’s time for Benetton to show us the colour of their money,” Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of the IndustriALL, said in a statement.
“We call on Benetton to do what’s morally right and compensate with compassion. We expect to see a significant contribution to the Rana Plaza Trust Fund by Benetton in keeping with a major brand that sourced from Rana Plaza and has a considerable investment in Bangladesh.”
UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings said: “We understand that Benetton promises to step up and take their share of the responsibility for the victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy.”
Although IndustriALL and UNI are welcoming the move with caution, they highlighted some outstanding issues that urgently need to be resolved with regards to Benetton’s payment.
Almost two years since the Rana Plaza tragedy, the global unions questioned Benetton’s decision to delay its payment further and to confirm the amount it intends to pay. The unions call on Benetton to clarify these points well ahead of the second anniversary of the disaster on April 24, 2015.
BBN/SSR/AD-20Feb15-11:07 pm (BST)
