A multi-stakeholder trust has been created to formally address payments to the Tazreen Fashions fire victims. The Tazreen Claims Administration Trust (TCA Trust) developed out of an initial agreement signed in 2014 by C&A, C&A Foundation, IndustriALL Global Union and the Clean Clothes Campaign, a statement said. This agreement, brokered by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), has a provision for all parties to develop and implement a “fair and transparent” payment mechanism for the fire victims and their families. The Tazreen Coordination Committee, made up of representatives of the original signatories, agreed on the principles and details of the scheme and established the TCA Trust in September 2015. “The aim of the TCA Trust is to receive and review claims, and make the payments of awards to victims and eligible family members of the deceased or missing. Furthermore, a Tazreen Steering Committee has been set up to advice the TCA Trust,” said the statement. It is comprised of Bangladeshi groups that work directly with impacted families,” the statement added. This scheme will build on the payments already made by the Office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the BGMEA to the families of deceased and missing workers. Previous payments will be subtracted from the total final payments to be made under this scheme. This complements additional programmes, such as an education trust for children of the victims, funded by C&A Foundation and Fung (1906) Foundation. Payments will be disbursed through a dedicated fund, which is currently being financed by C&A Foundation, Fung Foundation and KiK. Meanwhile, rights groups Clean Clothes Campaign and International Labor Rights Forum on Wednesday called upon the international brands including Walmart and El Corte Ingles to contribute to the fund established to make payments to the families of the Tazreen fire victims. The call came days before the third anniversary of the Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh that occurred on November 24, 2012 killing 113 workers. ver a hundred workers were injured by jumping from the windows of the third and fourth floors, sustaining serious back and head injuries which have left many of them in constant pain, a statement issued by the CCC said. For the last three years, the families of those killed and injured have been fighting for compensation for the loss of their loved ones or loss of their own ability to earn an income. Tazreen produced for US giant Walmart, the Spanish department store El Corte Ingles, the German discount retailer KIK, C&A and Sean John’s Enyce brand, it added. Other linked brands include Edinburgh Woollen Mill (UK), Karl Rieker (Germany) and Piazza Italia (Italy), Teddy Smith (France) and U.S. brands Disney, Sears, Dickies and Delta Apparel. This agreement led to the creation of the Tazreen Claims Administration Trust which oversees the claims process, cooperates with organizations representing the families and collects funding to make the payments. Families of the workers killed in the fire have begun to register their claims and on Wednesday the Trust launched a new website, providing information about the claims process and details on how contributions to the Trust can be made. rands with revenue over $1.0 million are being asked to pay a minimum of $100,000. C&A and Li & Fung (which sourced on behalf of Sean Jean) have already committed to pay into the fund, according to the statement. German brand KiK, currently embroiled in a controversy regarding their refusal to negotiate compensation with victims of the Ali Enterprises fire, has also now agreed to pay a contribution to the Fund. Not all brands are willing to take the responsibility, although three years have passed since the tragedy took place. Tazreen’s largest customer, Walmart, still has not provided any funds to compensate the survivors and the families of the deceased workers. In 2014, Walmart publicly announced that it would contribute $3.0 million via BRAC USA for the victims of the Rana Plaza factory collapse and for victims of other garment factory tragedies in Bangladesh. Roughly $1.0 million of that was paid to the Rana Plaza victims’ fund, up to $92,000 has been provided for medical treatments. Yet to date Walmart has refused to pledge any money to the injured workers and families affected by the Tazreen fire. What Walmart intends to do with the remaining $1.1 million it promised remains unclear, the statement said. The Spanish department store El Corte Ingles, which participated in the original Committee set up to develop the process for Rana Plaza victims, has also stalled making a payment for Tazreen workers, it added. Sam Maher, who represents the Clean Clothes Campaign in the Tazreen Claim Administration Trust, said: “These workers have been waiting for three years to get the financial payments which they need for daily survival; to pay for rent, education and health care.”
