"A decade after Bangladesh’s deadliest garment factory fire, brands still ignore workers' safety", 24 November 2022

Garment workers in Bangladesh have marked a decade since the Tazreen Fashions fire, one of the nation's deadliest industrial incidents...

While considerable progress has been made, a lot remains to be done and progress must be guarded: this includes the need for brands which were connected to the Tazreen factory to finally sign the safety Accord, which protects workers in Bangladesh, the Clean Clothes Campaign said in a statement on Thursday...

“It is a disgrace that while 186 brands have signed this agreement, some laggards, most notably several brands which have first-hand experience with workers dying in their factories, have failed to commit to protecting the safety of the workers in their supply chain,” said Kamrul Hasan from Akota Garment Workers Federation.

On this day, the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights and Femnet, supported by a range of Bangladeshi unions, have sent a notice letter to brands that fall under the German supply chain law, which will take effect as of Jan 1 next year, and have not yet signed the Accord....

The letter warned that if companies fail to join the initiative they could face legal action under the law...

Ten years since the Tazreen fire, and more than nine years since the start of the Accord programme, the legally binding and enforceable system that holds brands to account for its suppliers and gives workers avenues to raise their safety issues effectively has proven its worth, the Clean Clothes Campaign said...

This year, the Bangladesh government, in association with employers, trade unions, the International Labour Organisation, Germany, and the Netherlands, started a pilot project of an Employment Injury Insurance scheme for garment workers which will provide injured workers and family members compensation for loss of income and medical costs.

For this pilot to be successful it is paramount that international brands and retailers factor in the costs related to the injury insurance scheme in their contracts with suppliers, and that the employers have registered all their workers, the Clean Clothes Campaign said.

Furthermore, while the campaigners hoped that this pilot will lead to a fully-fledged insurance scheme for garment workers in Bangladesh, it is also vital not to forget workers who remain uncompensated in the past decade and to provide justice for them...