Compensation for Bangladesh RMG factory victims : Most brands stay away as meeting begins in Geneva today

Apparel, Footwear, Fashion

Compensation for Bangladesh RMG factory victims : Most brands stay away as meeting begins in Geneva today

More than twenty clothing brands have refused to discuss with Clean Clothes Campaign and IndustriALL Global Union, two largest global alliances of labor unions in the clothing sector, over setting compensation package for the victims of Tazreen Fashions fire and Rana Plaza collapse in a meeting that begins today in Geneva.

The CCC and the IndustriALL Global Union are organizing the two-day meeting with the global brands which had business links with Tazreen Fashions and factories housed in Rana Plaza. Only 12 brands have pledged to attend the meeting, the CCC said in a statement posted on its website on Monday.

The statement said the meeting was called mainly by the global union IndustriALL and would be hosted by the International Labour Organisation, which would also act as a neutral chair. Participants will discuss issues to set a fund to pay compensation to the families affected by the fire at Tazreen Fashions in November 2012 and the collapse of Rana Plaza building in April 2013.

The Tazreen Fashions fire killed at least 112 RMG workers and the Rana Plaza building collapse killed at least 1,133 workers. A number of brands and retailers have, to date, refused to take responsibility of the workers killed and injured in the two disasters, the CCC said on its web site on Monday.

The alliance said Walmart, which had business link with both Tazreen and Rana Plaza, has yet to make any commitment to payment of compensation in either case. Benetton and Mango, both of whom had orders at factories housed in Rana Plaza have also remained silent on whether they will attend the meeting, it added.

‘It is now almost nine months since the fire at Tazreen and five months since the collapse of Rana Plaza. Those families affected are struggling to cope in the aftermath of these disasters and we are hearing daily of families at risk of losing their homes and struggling to get the medical and psychological treatment they need,’ said Ineke Zeldenrust of Clean Clothes Campaign.

He said the issue of compensation was urgent and pressing and they hoped for a constructive meeting and a positive outcome for these workers and their families. The CCC estimated long-term compensation for Rana Plaza victims will be more than 54 million euros (US$ 71 million) and for Tazreen this is at least 4.3 million euros (US$ 5.7 million).

These amounts include compensation for pain and sufferings, as well as long-term loss of earnings for families of deceased workers, and injured workers unable to return to work, as per the statement of the CCC.