The foreign investors are eying extensively to invest at the proposed economic zones (EZs) in Bangladesh, showing a ray of hope of huge foreign direct investment in the country. Japanese investors are now eying widely to invest in establishing economic zones in Bangladesh. The country, though primarily approached for establishing only single economic zone, is now interested to establish three more economic zones in Bangladesh, according to BEZA sources. JICA on behalf of the government of Japan has primarily working to establish economic zones in Sreepur, Gazipur, Narayanganj and Narsinghdi, it was learnt. The interest of the Japanese investors was revealed at a seminar titled Programme for Capacity Enhancement of BEZA held at BEZA office in the capital on Thursday. A Japanese delegation member participated at the event said that the Japanese investors are interested to invest in Bangladesh like that in Viet Nam where they are doing business for several decades. The seminar participated by the consultants of renowned Japanese companies, JICA and BEZA officials was arranged by JICA as part of its agreement with BEZA in this regard. After the attention of the governments of Japan and China was drawn to establish economic zones under Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), neighboring India has joined in the queue to set up economic zone in Bangladesh. It was learnt that BEZA is interested to facilitate the Indian investors for establishing an economic zones here and India also showed its interest in this regard. Involvement of the foreign investors in the country’s economic zones will help Bangladesh fetch large amount of FDI that will ultimately generate employment for a large number of people, said Paban Chowdhury, Executive Chairman of BEZA. He informed the governments of Japan and China have come forward in establishing economic zones in Bangladesh while Indian investors have also expressed their interests to be involved in developing economic zones here. By the year 2030, a total of 100 special economic zones will be established which will help diversifying products, catching foreign direct investment up to desired level and enhance employment for the local people. Of the 100 zones, the government in the mean time has gave approval for establishing 22 economic zones. BEZA sources said that it has reached agreements with the governments of China and Japan on establishing economic zones in Bangladesh. It was learnt that China and Japan have already started assessing the feasibility on economic zones to find suitable locations. Meanwhile, Indian investors expressed interest to come forward to establish economic zone in Bangladesh. It was learnt that a non-government organization started assessing the feasibility on it. BEZA Executive Chairman said that they have started primary study by appointing a non-government organization. BEZA sources said that it was set to one economic zone to each of Japan and China. But later the demand for several economic zones has been raised by the governments of the respective countries. The government of China is now approaching to establish another economic zone for its state-owned company. Establishing an economic zone by India was disclosed at a seminar participated by BEZA and members of the India-Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry held recently, said Mohammad Ali, President of IBCCI. Lauding the initiatives, Ali said that the local investors can also invest here and the government of Bangladesh should come forward to facilitate the investors by providing infrastructural facilities. Paban Chowdhury said that Japan will come here with huge investment and it will be implemented within few years.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/business/2015/04/23/499479#sthash.fQ97u0tg.dpuf

Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, speaks at a discussion meeting, held ahead of the second anniversary of Rana Plaza Tragedy, at BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka on Wednesday. Two years after the tragic Rana Plaza disaster, a rather gloomy picture of the victims in terms of economic, physical and mental condition was found in an ActionAid Bangladesh research survey. The survey report shows that 55 percent survivors are still unemployed, while 44 percent survivors got engaged in various types of jobs. Currently 54.4 percent respondents are facing difficulties to meet their daily needs while 2 percent cannot meet their daily needs at all. It showed that 61.2 percent of the disaster survivors still need to visit doctors on regular basis, 59.1 percent of them are still suffering from depression and trauma. This suggests that physical wounds may have healed in the two years, but the trauma and shock from the incident is harder to recover from, observed the survey revealed on Wednesday in the city in a multi-logue just before the second anniversary of Rana Plaza Tragedy on April 24. Stakeholders from the government, local and international NGOs, garment owners, buyers, and researchers were present at the event held at BRAC Centre Inn. ActoinAid Bangladesh conducted the survey on 1,414 survivors including 915 women and 499 men. Of the 1414 survivors, 70.6 percent responded that they are somewhat healed, while 22.6 percent reported that their condition is getting worse. “The situation of survivors is worse. The survivors don’t go to work. Physically they are in bad situation,” Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said. “We should take the responsibility to help them go on with their lives. Government, garment factory owners, other partners should work together,” she added. Compensation issue dominated the event after the survivors, present in the multi-logue, claimed that they did not get proper compensation. The survey shows, in last one-and-a-half year, Rana Plaza Donor Trust Fund was set up to ensure compensation for the affected people with a preliminary target of USD 40 million, which was later fixed at USD 30 million. As of April 9, 2015, in cash and kind PM’s relief fund provided Tk 22,93,58,720 out of Tk 127 crore, the report said, citing Press Wing of PMO sources. Altogether US$ 21.5 million was supposed to be disbursed, but there is still a deficit of $8.5 million. Dr. Mojtaba Kazazi, Executive Commissioner-Rana Plaza Coordination Committee, said, “We have received many letters for compensation than the actual figure received. So it takes times. The compensation depends on the loss and damage of the survivors.” Ishrafil Alam, Member, Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Labor and Employment, said, “Compensation is an endless debate. After the Rana Plaza collapse, many parties wanted to give money. But we don’t get enough”. “Incidents can happen. But it should not continue. Victims are not getting the justice. It needs to be addressed. We want industrialization. But we don’t want our industrialization by death like Rana Plaza,” Alam added. Vice-president of BGMEA Md Shahidullah Azim said, “We have been working closely with factory owners and other stakeholders to ensure security of workers. We don’t want any repetition of Rana Plaza.” “To improve the situation of survivors and garment industry of Bangladesh, the most important factor is ensuring accountability. The government, owners and buyers should work together,” said Tuomo Poutiainen, Programme Manager of ILO Bangladesh. Amanur Rahman, Deputy Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, presented the survey findings that suggest a number of initiatives including realisation and delivery of full compensation is required to address the mid-term and long-term needs, and further health and livelihood support to the survivors required to resume normal life and work. Formation of a high level multi-stakeholder coordination mechanism including GO, NGO, trade union, brand, manufacturer and development partners was also suggested to oversee the national labour regulations and compliance auditing.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/business/2015/04/23/499478

The second anniversary of Rana Plaza building collapse will be observed tomorrow, but the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) is yet to submit charge sheets in three cases pertaining to one of the world’s worst industrial disasters. At least 1,135 garment workers were killed and over 2,000 wounded in the Rana Plaza disaster on April 24, 2013. Since then the court fixed dozens of dates for submission of the probe report, but the CID failed to do so. However, investigation officer (IO) Bijoy Krishna Kar, also a senior assistant superintendent of CID, told daily sun on Wednesday, “We hope to submit the charge sheets before the court on the next fixed date of May 21”. When asked about delay, he said, “We could not submit the reports before court on April 15 due to lack of clearance orders about some accused government officials.” Because of delay in investigation, the affected workers and leaders of labour rights organisations expressed doubt whether the workers would at all get justice or not. Expressing her frustration, Jolly Talukder, joint secretary general of Garments Sramik Trade Union Kendra, told daily sun, “In face of our movement, the government arrested Sohel Rana, but it seems the government is not sincere to ensure punishment to those responsible for the tragic incidence.” On April 15, Dhaka Judicial Magistrate Court fixed May 21 for submitting the probe report following failure of CID to submit the report on the scheduled date. The CID finalised two separate charge sheets against 59 people. One of the charge sheets was finalised against 42 people, including 13 government officials, in the case filed under penal code. Another charge sheet was finalised against 17 people, including seven government officials, in another case filed under building construction act. As per section 197 of the CrPC, the IO sent letters to relevant ministries seeking clearance about the 20 officials regarding their inclusion in the charge sheets. Rana Plaza owner Sohel Rana, owners of the garment factories, housed in the building, some officials and engineers of Savar municipality and the department of inspection of factories and establishment were found to be responsible for the collapse and loss of lives, sources said. Rana and the garment factory owners compelled the staff members and factory workers to work inside the building even after cracks were found there. So, the owners are responsible for the deaths and they will be made accused in the charge sheets, they said. Twenty-two people, including Rana, were arrested in connection with the cases and 14 of them, including Rana’s father Abdul Khalek, were released on bail. Rajuk official Helaluddin filed a case against Sohel Rana for structural flaw at the plaza and for constructing it with sub-standard materials and violating building code. Another case was filed by police with Savar police station against Rana, his father Khalek and owners of the factories for loss of lives. The family of a victim filed a murder case with a Dhaka court in this connection.

Source: https://www.daily-sun.com/print/back-page/2015/04/23/499505

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat has said the garment sector’s plan to grow to $50 billion by 2021 is crucial to the nation’s development goals, given the enormous contribution the RMG sector makes to Bangladesh’s economy and women’s empowerment, reports UNB. “The United States is partnering with the government, the workers, and the employers to show the world that Bangladesh is working toward new standards for workers’ rights and safety, ensuring that no worker need fear such a tragedy again,” she said. The US diplomat said this in her recent Op-Ed titled ‘Rana Plaza Two-Year Anniversary’ mentioning that tragedies can and should lead to transformation. Bernicat said workers, including thousands of young women employed for the first time, must be afforded the right to raise their concerns, be respected and work in safe conditions. “BGMEA and the government have a responsibility to ensure all factories allow inspectors access and that factories remediate the problems that are identified. These reforms will also increase productivity,” she said. The government of Bangladesh has also begun to show its leadership among industrializing nations by demonstrating its commitment to important labour rights standards. She said the government has registered over 300 unions and created a website for unions to register online. “We encourage the government to ensure these unions’ members are able to exercise their legal right to collectively bargain, free from the fear that they will be fired or harassed, and that illegal retaliation will be dealt with quickly.” The US envoy said they also would welcome the use of an alternative resolution system to prevent disputes between workers and management from escalating into conflict. “We look forward to the new inspectors receiving training from the International Labor Organization and inspecting worksites for wage violations and other issues as mandated by the labor law,” she said. And by issuing the Labour Act’s Implementing Rules, Bernicat said, the government will soon provide employers better guidance, help workers understand their role, and give Bangladesh authorities the direction to properly enforce the law. Two years ago, the Rana Plaza building collapsed, crushing workers and drawing the world’s attention to the readymade garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. In one day, Bangladesh lost over 1100 lives. “Today, we remember those workers and grieve their loss along with their families and friends.” “As we look to the future, we see that Bangladesh – its workers, employers, and government – is working alongside the world’s brands and Bangladesh’s international partners to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again,” said the US diplomat. Together, she said, they are building a better and more productive RMG sector and demonstrating to the world that business success goes hand-in-hand with workers’ rights and safety. The government has hired and begun training over 100 inspectors. But the work is not done; over 1000 factories under the National Tripartite Action Plan have not been inspected. “Other factories remain not registered; their conditions are unknown. We urge all of Bangladesh’s stakeholders to ensure that all factories are safe,” said the US diplomat.

Source: https://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=2409167&date=2015-04-23

Garment workers in Bangladesh face poor working conditions and anti-union tactics by employers, including assaults on union organisers, said New York-based Human Rights Watch, reports UNB. A HRW report released on Wednesday said in the two years since more than 1,100 workers died in the catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza factory on April 24, 2013, efforts are underway to make Bangladesh factories safer, but the government and Western retailers can and should do more to enforce international labor standards to protect workers’ rights, including their right to form unions and advocate for better conditions. “If Bangladesh wants to avoid another Rana Plaza disaster, it needs to effectively enforce its labor law and ensure that garment workers enjoy the right to voice their concerns about safety and working conditions without fear of retaliation or dismissal,” said Phil Robertson, HRW Asia deputy director. “If Bangladesh does not hold factory managers accountable who attack workers and deny the right to form unions, the government will perpetuate practices that have cost the lives of thousands of workers.” The 78-page report, ‘Whoever Raises Their Head, Suffers the Most’: Workers’ Rights in Bangladesh’s Garment Factories’, is based on interviews with more than 160 workers from 44 factories, most of them making garments for retail companies in North America, Europe, and Australia. The HRW called on the Bangladesh government, factory owners, and Western retailers to ensure respect for workers’ rights and end the unlawful targeting of labor leaders by factory owners and supervisors. While changes to some labor laws since Rana Plaza, including provisions easing the union registration process, have facilitated registration of new unions, still fewer than 10 percent of garment factories in Bangladesh have unions, it said. Union leaders said they continue to be targeted by factory management, risking abuse by both managers and supervisors, or thugs acting at their behest. In some factories, workers leading efforts to form unions have been dismissed for their organising activities. Factory owners and management reject these allegations. A Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) official told the HRW: “We have a bitter experience about unions. They believe they don’t need to work and they will get paid.”

Source: https://www.newstoday.com.bd/index.php?option=details&news_id=2409191&date=2015-04-23

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat has said the garment sector’s plan to grow to $50 billion by 2021 is crucial to the nation’s development goals, given the enormous contribution the RMG sector makes to Bangladesh’s economy and women’s empowerment, reports UNB. “The United States is partnering with the government, the workers, and the employers to show the world that Bangladesh is working toward new standards for workers’ rights and safety, ensuring that no worker need fear such a tragedy again,” she said. The US diplomat said this in her recent Op-Ed titled ‘Rana Plaza Two-Year Anniversary’ mentioning that tragedies can and should lead to transformation. Bernicat said workers, including thousands of young women employed for the first time, must be afforded the right to raise their concerns, be respected and work in safe conditions. “BGMEA and the government have a responsibility to ensure all factories allow inspectors access and that factories remediate the problems that are identified. These reforms will also increase productivity,” she said. The government of Bangladesh has also begun to show its leadership among industrialising nations by demonstrating its commitment to important labour rights standards. She said the government has registered over 300 unions and created a website for unions to register online. “We encourage the government to ensure these unions’ members are able to exercise their legal right to collectively bargain, free from the fear that they will be fired or harassed, and that illegal retaliation will be dealt with quickly.” The US envoy said they also would welcome the use of an alternative resolution system to prevent disputes between workers and management from escalating into conflict. “We look forward to the new inspectors receiving training from the International Labour Organization and inspecting worksites for wage violations and other issues as mandated by the labour law,” she said. And by issuing the Labour Act’s Implementing Rules, Bernicat said, the government will soon provide employers better guidance, help workers understand their role, and give Bangladesh authorities the direction to properly enforce the law. Two years ago, the Rana Plaza building collapsed, crushing workers and drawing the world’s attention to the readymade garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh. In one day, Bangladesh lost over 1100 lives. “Today, we remember those workers and grieve their loss along with their families and friends.” “As we look to the future, we see that Bangladesh – its workers, employers, and government – is working alongside the world’s brands and Bangladesh’s international partners to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again,” said the US diplomat. Together, she said, they are building a better and more productive RMG sector and demonstrating to the world that business success goes hand-in-hand with workers’ rights and safety. The government has hired and begun training over 100 inspectors. But the work is not done; over 1000 factories under the National Tripartite Action Plan have not been inspected. “Other factories remain not registered; their conditions are unknown. We urge all of Bangladesh’s stakeholders to ensure that all factories are safe,” said the US diplomat.

Source: https://www.theindependentbd.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=255711:achieving-50b-rmg-export-by-2021-crucial-us-envoy&catid=108:business-finance&Itemid=152

Success stories are always full of sweet and sour events, happy and sad memories since achievements do not come on a silver platter. What could be a better example of this fact other than our ready-made garment (RMG) industry? The RMG industry, which emerged as a small non-traditional sector of export in late 70s, has now become crucial to our economy as the main source of export earning and employment generation. The industry that started its journey with only 130 workers and export earnings of $12,000 is now a $25-billion sector which has created employment for around 4.4 million people. Of them 80 per cent are women. Now Bangladesh is the second largest apparel-exporting country in the world. For the last 35 years, the sector has been contributing to the economy with export earnings, employment generation, women empowerment and poverty alleviation. Was the journey of the RMG industry rosy and cosy? The answer is a simple ‘no’. The sector has faced a number of challenges, including child labour issue, MFA quota phase-out and global economic recession, in its way to success. However, the country has dealt with these challenges and been able to sustain the growth of the industry. The biggest challenge for our apparel industry emerged after the tragic Rana Plaza collapse in 2013. Many thought the building collapse would mark the end of the journey of our RMG industry. But what we have seen is the new beginning of our garment industry. The industry that has transformed the economy and lives of millions of people has itself been transformed. The Rana Plaza tragedy was a wake-up call for us — a call for turning around and building a safe and sustainable industry. We can now proudly say as a nation we have once again proved that we can face any challenge, be it natural or manmade. Given the huge size of our apparel industry, ensuring workers’ safety in garment factories was really a daunting task for us but we took it up as a challenge. It is really heartening to see that significant progress has been made in areas of safety standards including fire, electrical and structural safety in garment factories. For the first time in the history of global garment industry, all stakeholders have realised that ensuring safety and well-being of workers is a shared responsibility and this feeling has inspired the government, brands, buyers, suppliers, entrepreneurs, and workers to work hand in hand to ensure a safe and sustainable garment industry. Probably this is the only instance in world business of brands and buyers, who compete with each other, coming together to make an industry safe and sustainable. European brands and buyers formed Accord on fire and building safety while North American brands and buyers initiated a platform namely Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. National Tripartite Action Plan for Building and Fire Safety was adopted by the government. Both Accord and Alliance completed inspection in 100 per cent of the factories and the National Action Plan will complete 100 per cent of factory inspection by this April. Until now, 2,643 factories have been inspected by three initiatives — of them 1261 by Accord, 647 by Alliance and 735 factories by National Action Plan. What is more encouraging is that only around 1.25 per cent of the inspected factories were found vulnerable and closed down immediately. All the inspection reports of the factories are now available at the Fair Factory Clearinghouse (FFC) database, which is accessible by all the buyers, making our progress ever more transparent and credible. Moreover, factories are implementing corrective action plans provided by Accord and Alliance. The government has taken a number of steps to augment the safety initiatives. The Directorate of Inspection for Factories and Establishments has been upgraded to the status of a department. The government has recruited 200 inspectors, made import of safety equipment duty-free and launched a safety hotline for workers. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) also took a number of steps to supplement workplace safety efforts by forming a team of 35 fire trainers in December 2013. This team has trained 83,678 workers and staffs in 2386 factories as of today. The Association runs a crash programme on fire safety and so far 20,188 personnel of 2342 factories have been trained. We have also made a significant progress in areas of knowledge, awareness and rights issues as these are important for sustaining the progress. The Labour Law-2006 was amended just within 90 days of the building collapse, making the law more favourable towards ensuring workers’ rights. The dramatic progress in new trade union registration is a tangible result of this amendment. Until 2012, there were only 138 trade unions in the RMG sector, and since January 2013 until now, 304 new trade unions have been registered. The minimum wage of the garment workers has also been increased by 219 per cent over the past five years. The Better Work Programme has been launched by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Bangladesh. There goes an old adage that every tragedy has a silver lining and it is best related to our RMG industry. The rays of better days have already pierced through the dark cloud of tragic accidents. When all the inspections will be over and the factories complete their Corrective Action Plans (CAPs), the RMG of Bangladesh will obviously be regarded as the safest industry in the world inspected by the foreign experts and buyers under close observation of the government. Then not only we but also all across the world will say ‘Made in Bangladesh with pride’

Source: https://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/04/23/89873

Garment workers in Bangladesh still face poor working conditions and anti-union tactics by employers, including assaults on union organisers, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released in Dhaka yesterday. In the two years since more than 1,100 workers died in the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building on April 24, 2013, efforts are underway to make Bangladeshi factories safer.But the government and Western retailers can and should do more to enforce international labour standards to protect workers’ rights, including their right to form unions and advocate for better conditions.“If Bangladesh wants to avoid another Rana Plaza disaster, it needs to effectively enforce its labour law and ensure that garment workers enjoy the right to voice their concerns about safety and working conditions without fear of retaliation or dismissal,” said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director of HRW. “If Bangladesh does not hold accountable the factory managers who attack workers and deny the right to form unions, the government will perpetuate practices that have cost the lives of thousands of workers.”The 78-page report — Whoever Raises Their Head, Suffers the Most: Workers’ Rights in Bangladesh’s Garment Factories — is based on interviews with more than 160 workers from 44 factories, most of them making garments for retailers in North America, Europe and Australia.The interviews were conducted between October 2013 and April 2015 and the report was published at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity.Workers report violations including physical assault, verbal abuse — sometimes of a sexual nature — forced overtime, denial of paid maternity leave, and failure to pay wages and bonuses on time or in full.Despite the recent labour law reforms, many workers who try to form unions to address such abuse face threats, intimidation, dismissal, and sometimes physical assault at the hands of factory management or hired third parties, the report said.While changes to some labour laws since the Rana Plaza incident, including provisions easing the union registration process, have facilitated registration of new unions, still fewer garment factories in Bangladesh have unions.After the Rana Plaza collapse, around 300 trade unions received registration, which is less than 3 percent of the total garment factories in the country, said Alonzo Suson, Bangladesh country director of Solidarity Centre.The rejection rate in trade union applications by the labour ministry has also increased in recent times; the rate was 19 percent in 2013, 31 percent in 2014 and 56 percent in January-April this year, he said. “It’s very concerning.”Union leaders told the HRW that they continue to be targeted by factory management, risking abuse by both managers and supervisors, or thugs acting at their behest, according to the report. In some factories, workers leading efforts to form unions have been dismissed for their organising activities, said Babul Akhter, president of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation.Workers are not getting any remedy after reporting such irregularities to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association and the labour ministry, he said. The HRW called upon the government, factory owners, and Western retailers to ensure respect for workers’ rights and end the unlawful targeting of labour leaders by factory owners and supervisors.The government should carry out effective and impartial investigations into all workers’ allegations of mistreatment, including beatings, threats, and other abuses, and prosecute those responsible, Robertson said.The HWR report also examines the aftermath of the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Fashions disasters. Three separate initiatives to inspect the factories for safety are underway, by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, and by government inspectors, supported by the ILO.Survivors told the HRW that the compensation they have received until now is not sufficient to pay their medical bills and cover their loss of livelihood.An independent commission has estimated that $30 million needs to be paid to the survivors of the Rana Plaza incident and the dependants of those who died. But only about $21 million has been paid or pledged as of March 2015, it said.For the victims of the Tazreen Fashions fire, the situation is worse in the absence of a sustained campaign for compensation, such as in the case of the Rana Plaza collapse.In November 2014, European retailer C&A pledged a “significant amount towards full and fair compensation” for the victims of Tazreen, and the Hong-Kong-based company Li & Fung made a donation to support the victims soon after the disaster. However, several other companies have paid nothing, claiming the factory was making or storing their products without their knowledge or authorisation.The apparel industry accounts for almost 80 percent of the country’s export earnings and contributes to more than10 percent of the gross domestic product, employing more than four million workers, a majority of whom are women.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/apparel-working-conditions-still-poor-hrw-78765

Some 55 percent of the Rana Plaza survivors are still unemployed, two years after the nation’s worst industrial disaster, due to physical inability, trauma or lack of suitable jobs, a recent survey by ActionAid Bangladesh found.On the flipside, about 44 percent of the survivors managed to get gainfully employed in various sectors, according to the survey, which was unveiled yesterday at a programme organised at the capital’s Brac Centre Inn.ActionAid, an international non-governmental organisation, had the biggest sample size among all the surveys conducted on the disaster that claimed 1,135 lives and injured 2,500.It covered 2,200 victims, of which 1,414 were survivors and 786 family members of the dead.Of the survivors that were surveyed, 915 were women and 499 men.Of the respondents, 69 percent said they are unable to return to regular work because of physical weakness, 7 percent for trauma and 15 percent for lack of suitable jobs. Only 35 percent of the survivors have returned to the garment sector.The survey showed 76 percent of the survivors earned less than Tk 5,300 a month in wages or from petty business. Of the survivors, 70.6 percent responded that they were somewhat healed, while an alarming 22.6 percent said their condition was getting worse.Many of the injured workers need long-term treatment, which they are not receiving at the moment, said Aamanur Rahman, a deputy director of ActionAid Bangladesh, while making a presentationWhile they received adequate health services in the first six months of the building’s collapse, that support started petering out after that period.“Now, the injured workers have run out of money. As a result, they are not being able to take any treatment.”Over 61 percent of the injured workers need to visit doctors, particularly for diagnosis, prescription for medication and physiotherapy, according to the survey.On average, each person spends about Tk 1,600 a month for treatment and medicine, with the cost borne by them.About 60 percent of the survivors surveyed are still suffering from depression and trauma, while 34.2 percent said they have somewhat recovered from the psychological impact.The report said 30 percent of the survivors have more than five dependents and 16.69 percent have three to four mouths to feed.At present, less than one-third of the survivors are able to support their families, though in a limited capacity.Of the respondents, 54.4 percent are facing a lot of difficulties meeting their daily needs, while 2 percent said they are unable to make ends meet at all.Subsequently, the survivors and family members of the dead called for financial aid to start their own businesses or invest in their existing family businesses or as a support during job search in sectors other than garment.More than half of the respondents asked for compensation from the brands and other stakeholders.Many believe putting the persons responsible for the collapse behind bars would provide justice for the victims of the disaster.In recommendations, ActionAid said realisation and delivery of full compensation are required to address the mid-term and long-term needs. If compensation is not realised, the progression of vulnerability will be accelerated, it said.Further health and livelihood support to the survivors is required so they can resume normal lives and careers, said the report.Jahangir Alam, one of the survivors of the industrial disaster, was present at the programme.He managed to find a job in another garment factory after the fateful event on April 24, 2013 but could not hold on it. “One day, when the power went off I started screaming out of fear. I thought the Rana Plaza event was playing out again. I lost the job.”Alam, whose body shakes when he speaks, said the situation is such that no garment factory wants to take on the Rana Plaza survivors.In light of this, the compensation package should take account of the lifetime income that the survivors have to forgo, he added.Nilufar Yasmin, another survivor, said they want adequate compensation so they can lead decent lives and bear the educational expenses of their children.Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said all of these survivors had come to work. “Now they are not being able to work because of psychological and physical difficulties. So, we have to think whether we are doing enough for them.”She said the injured victims are not taking the required medicines as they do not have the wherewithal. “As a result, they are not being able to reach a stage where they can start to work again.”Israfil Alam, a member of the parliamentary standing committee on labour ministry, said a lot of promises were made after the tragic event but many of them were not kept.The debate over compensation should come to an end by fixing the mode of payment, he said.The ruling party lawmaker is sceptical that the victims would get their due justice: the persons whose negligence led to the collapse are very powerful.Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the platform has taken responsibility of 45 children of the deceased and surviving workers. “We want to take in more children but their guardians are reluctant.”Tuomo Poutiainen, a programme manager of the International Labour Organisation, said a lot has been done in the last two years but the job is not finished yet.“Everybody has a shared responsibility to continue to support the victims,” he said, adding that the UN body is also working to ensure that disasters such as Rana Plaza do not recur.He added that the responsibility to ensure workplace safety lies with the government, factory owners and other stakeholders. “There has to be improvement to governance, transparency and access to justice.”Syed Ahmed, inspector general of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, said while there are problems with many of the buildings, the number of structures facing risks of collapse is only two percent.Mojtaba Kazazi, executive commissioner of Rana Plaza Coordination Committee (RPCC), said 2,871 claims have been received from the injured workers, dependents of the deceased and missing workers.Of them, 2,839 claims were reviewed and authorised for payments. The remaining 32 claims along with the 20-30 additional deceased claims that are yet to be filled will be included in the final instalment, he said.About Tk 76 crore have so far been paid to the injured workers and dependents of the deceased and missing workers, according to the RPCC executive commissioner.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/business/rana-plaza-survivors-left-the-lurch-78758

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) made on Wednesday a number of recommendations to improve poor working condition in the country’s garment industry. The recommendations also included ensuring workers’ rights to form trade unions (TUs) and bargain collectively as well as creating an effective compliant mechanism. The HRW also suggested bringing about reform in labour law, increasing the number of government’s labour, fire, and building inspectors, improving their training facilities, establishing clear procedures for independent and credible inspections, and expanding factory inspections and labour rights protections to the Export Processing Zones (EPZs). The rights group released a report titled “Whoever Raises Their Head, Suffers the Most: Workers’ Rights in Bangladesh’s Garment Factories” in Dhaka just a day before the second anniversary of the tragic Rana Plaza incident. The report said the garment workers in Bangladesh face poor working condition and anti-union tactics by employers including assaults on union organizers. The 78-page report is based on interviews with more than 160 workers from 44 factories, most of which make garments for retail companies in North America, Europe and Australia. In the two years since the catastrophic Rana Plaza factory collapse on April 24, 2013 that claimed more than 1,100 workers lives, efforts are underway to make Bangladesh factories safer, the New York-based rights organisation said. But the government and western retailers can and should do more to enforce international labour standards to protect the workers’ rights, including their right to form unions and advocate for better condition. “If Bangladesh wants to avoid another Rana Plaza disaster, it needs to effectively enforce its labour law and ensure that garment workers enjoy the right to voice their concerns about safety and working conditions without fear of retaliation or dismissal,” said Phil Robertson, Asia deputy director at HRW. The rights body called on the Bangladesh government, factory owners, and western retailers to ensure respect for workers’ rights and end the unlawful targeting of labour leaders by factory owners and supervisors. While changes to some labour laws since the Rana Plaza incident, including provisions easing the union registration process, have facilitated registration of new unions, still fewer than 10 per cent of garment factories in Bangladesh have unions, the report said. Union leaders told the rights body that they continue to be targeted by factory management, risking abuse by both managers and supervisors, or thugs acting at their behest, it added. In some factories, workers leading efforts to form unions have been dismissed for their organising activities, but factory owners and management reject these allegations, the report claimed. A Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) official told HRW: “We have a bitter experience about unions. They believe they don’t need to work and they will get paid.” “The Bangladesh government and retailers need to ensure that factory owners and management start respecting workers’ rights, and the government must hold accountable those who abuse labour rights,” Mr Robertson said. HRW urged the Bangladesh government to carry out effective and impartial investigations into all workers’ allegations of mistreatment, including beatings, threats, and other abuses, and prosecute those responsible. Companies sourcing from Bangladesh factories should immediately take action to ensure that factory inspections conducted on their behalf or with their support are effective in ensuring that their supplier factories comply with the companies’ codes of conduct and the Bangladesh labour law, it said. The rapid growth of the ready-made garment (RMG) industry, as well as the failure of the Bangladesh government to enforce its building and labour regulations, resulted in worker abuse and many unsafe and poorly constructed factories, HRW opined.

Source: https://www.thefinancialexpress-bd.com/2015/04/23/89946