Washington, DC (BBN)-US Senator Robert Menendez has urged the Bangladesh government and BGMEA to allow trade unions to avoid a large-scale tragedy that can tarnish the image of apparel sector beyond repair.
"If the BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association) and the government of Bangladesh do not take immediate and concerted steps to end the suppression of fledgling unions, it is only a matter of time before another large-scale tragedy hits Bangladesh's garment industry, and the 'made in Bangladesh' brand is tarnished beyond repair,” Menendez said in a statement on the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh.
The collapse of eight-storey Rana Plaza building in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka, on April 24 in 2013 left more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, killed and thousands injured or traumatised.
“The BGMEA and the government of Bangladesh must understand this simple message: Western consumers will not buy clothes that are stained with the blood of Bangladesh's workers,” added the statement of Menendez, also the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
"Yet for others involved in Bangladesh's garment industry, the past year has been business as usual. Many factory owners in Bangladesh have suppressed the formation of unions in their factories by firing union leaders and, according to reports, some factory managers have been involved in vicious attacks on union organisers. The industry association for Bangladesh's garment factory owners, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), continues to represent the old guard of factory owners and has been reluctant to take any action against its members who engage in anti-union activity.
“The government of Bangladesh, while making progress in the registration of new unions, still lacks the institutional capacity and political will to protect them. This has had a chilling effect on labor organising in the country.
“Many workers now fear losing their jobs if they join a union and union organisers rightly fear for their own safety,” Menendez said.
“Without the strong voice of an independent factory union, workers have no mechanism to ensure their own safety. They cannot make sure that managers keep fire doors shut and stairwells clear, or that cracks in columns and walls are not simply painted over,” said the report which was published on April 25.
"One year ago this week, the world's conscience was shocked by the deaths of over 1,130 Bangladeshi garment workers when Rana Plaza, the building which housed their factories, collapsed on top of them.
"For many, the tragedy was a call to action. The US government has suspended trade benefits for Bangladesh until it takes several concrete steps to improve workers' rights and safety.
“The International Labor Organisation has initiated its largest-ever safe factories program in Bangladesh and coordinated safety inspections, as well as compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza.
“International retailers have taken important initial steps to address building and worker safety in Bangladesh,” it added.
BBN/ANS/AD/25Apr14-2:00pm (BST)
