US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat on Sunday urged upon the relevant parties to democratically select representatives of the unions to ensure workers safety.”We urge that workers democratically select representatives to create safety and health committees to ensure their safety continues,” the Ambassador said in a statement.The statement was issued on the third anniversary of the collapse of Rana Plaza which accommodated five garment industries and other business outlets. “In one day, Bangladesh lost more than 1,100 lives, and many who survived that day continue to struggle. Some lost loved ones. Others were injured for life. We grieve with them on this anniversary,” the US Ambassador said in the statement.Rana Plaza’s tragic collapse bequeathed to all a shared responsibility as government officials, workers, factory owners, and consumers to create safe working conditions and to ensure workers have a voice, she said.Over the last three years, more than 3,600 factories have been inspected for safety, and 39 dangerous factories have been closed. People all over the world can access factory safety information at https://database.dife.gov.bd/factories. The Ministry of Labour and Employment has hired and trained more than 200 inspectors, and launched a toll-free help line (0800-4455000). Thousands of factories have taken steps to improve workplace safety, and thirty-one factories have been fully remediated, she lauded adding: “These are all tremendous accomplishments that may have saved lives.”She believes it is critically important for workers to have a strong and powerful voice, to be able to say that they will not work in that building with a cracked wall, and to be heard and respected. Lauding the government for registering hundreds of new workers unions, the US Ambassador reiterated her country’s commitment to work with Bangladesh in ameliorating workers’ sufferings.
