Rana Plaza, an expensive wake up call

Nayem Hossain : On the morning of the 24th of April 2013, the nine-storied Rana Plaza building collapsed, killing 1137 (Approx) people, and injuring more than 2500 workers. People all across the world looked on in shock and horror as media reports poured in revealing the true extent of the human toll. There were harrowing stories of survival, of people who had no choice but to amputate their own limbs in order to be freed from the rubble and survive. Images of this tragic event were broadcast to the world. When the dust settled, it became clear that this was not just a Bangladeshi tragedy, but an international one: 29 international fashion brands sourced garments from the different factories housed in the faulty building. Rana Plaza was depicted in international media as a “wakeup call”, an “eye opener”, the end of “business as usual” in the global garment supply chain, and that there would be a change to the way clothes are produced. The collapse of Rana Plaza brought worldwide attention to death-trap workplaces within the garment industry. The public interest and media attention has resulted in more political pressure than ever before to effect change and has led to significant ground-breaking approaches to prevention and remedy, with the establishment of the binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the Rana Plaza Arrangement involving all major stakeholders, meant to compensate the survivors and the families of the death workers.

Shortly after, promising steps were taken. The government of Bangladesh amended the labor law and started hiring additional factory inspectors. The minimum wage was increased. The owner of the Rana Plaza building was arrested and is currently awaiting his trail. However, actions didn’t stop at the national level. Only a month after Rana Plaza, the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety (“The Accord”) was agreed upon between international trade unions, Bangladeshi trade unions, and international brands and retailers with several NGOs as witnesses and the ILO as the chair. It includes a central and equal role for workers and worker representatives, including direct trade union participation in factory training. For too long the industry relied on one-off safety audits in its factories, conducted by auditing companies created and funded by brands themselves. The Accord instead pushes for strong industrial relations with trade unions as equal partners, which can replace flawed auditing models and conduct constant safety inspections in a context where workers are empowered to refuse dangerous work.

By involving trade unions representing workers on the shop floor as equal partners, the Accord is a milestone in ensuring safer working conditions at the bottom of the supply chain. More than 1600 factories have been inspected so far by the international engineering team of the Accord, with more inspections to follow. After every inspection the engineering team develops specific and transparent remediation plans if necessary, which are then simultaneously communicated to factory owners and unions.

A Bangladeshi court has ordered the arrest of 24 people and seizure of their assets after they failed to turn up to face murder charges over the collapse of a clothing factory that killed more than 1,137 (Approx) people. Senior judicial magistrate Mohammad Al Amin issued the warrants after his court accepted the murder charges against the 24 fugitives for the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory compound in April 2013. It was one of the world’s worst industrial disasters. “The court accepted the charge sheet against 41 people who have been charged with murder over the Rana Plaza disaster,” prosecutor Anwarul Kabir said. “The court issued arrest warrants against 24 of them as they have absconded. It also ordered the seizure of their property,” he said, adding that police have been asked to report on their arrests by 27 January.

Anwarul Kabir said the court had accepted the charges against four government factory and building inspectors despite attempts by their departments to shield them from prosecution by citing public servant immunity rules. Among the 41 who have been charged with murder is Sohel Rana, the owner of the nine-storied complex on the outskirts of Dhaka which collapsed on 24 April 2013, at the start of the working day.

Rana, who is in custody awaiting trial, became Bangladesh’s public enemy number one after survivors recounted how they were forced to start work despite complaints about cracks developing in the walls the previous day.

Last of all, we mourn their sudden death and pray to the Almighty for the eternal peace of the departed soul.

Writer : On Behalf Of Bangladesh Compliance Professional Association(BCPA)

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