The second anniversary of the deadly Rana Plaza collapse in Savar passed off on Friday amid demonstrations by the victims’ families for compensation. People reminisced about the tragic incident when local and international organisations expressed concern over the meager of workplace rights in Bangladesh. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building which housed five garment factories caved in, killing over 1,100 workers and maiming several thousand others. The accident took place due to allegedly fault in the construction of the building and poor construction materials. Although the government, BGMEA, other organisations and stakeholders at home and abroad promised to compensate the victims, such assurances were not fully fulfilled. The family members of the victims formed a human chain and chanted slogans in front of the collapsed complex site in Savar on the outskirts of the capital on Friday, demanding their compensation. The Transparency International Bangladesh recently alleged that the government fund of Tk 108 crore remained unused. Meanwhile, the European Union raised concern over inadequate RMG workplace safety in Bangladesh. The European Union also cautioned of revisiting its duty-free quota for Bangladesh if poor workplace safety for workers continues in the country. EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström told a programme on Wednesday said, “Another tragedy or even just the continuation of today’s poor working condition could force the EU to revisit everything But Arms (EBA).” Addressing a conference titled “Remembering Rana Plaza: What Next” at the European Parliament in Brussels, she issued the above caution. “We’re here today to remember the Rana Plaza building. Remembrance has a double purpose. We do it to show our respect for victims, survivors and their families,” she added. On the other hand, Human Rights Watch alleged that Rana Plaza victims were not compensated adequately. An HRW report published on April 22 said survivors of the workplace disaster have reportedly not received adequate compensation two years into the incident although many retailers paid into the Rana Plaza compensation fund. It referred to the promise and contribution of various organisations to the compensation fund, saying only $21 million of $30 million needed to compensate the survivors had been paid or pledged to the fund, with the British company Primark giving $14 million as of March. The HRW further said 15 of the retailers whose labels were found in the Rana Plaza rubble are yet to contribute to the compensation fund.
Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/front-page/2015/04/25/499858#sthash.wFhccpF6.dpuf
