On November 21, an agreement was reached on minimum security standards (notably fire prevention systems and electric systems) to check when assessing buildings where the approximately 4,000 textile plants in Bangladesh. It was signed at a meeting of the National Tripartite Committee, presided by the Bengali Minister of Labor, Mikail Shipar. This Committee gathers government agencies, major western retailers, the Bengali cross-industry employers’ organization, and the country’s unions. This agreement is one of the initiatives that followed the Rana Plaza tragedy of April 24, causing the death of 1,135 textile workers and arousing international mobilization. This issue has been settled but compensation for the victims has not. Besides, on November 13, the sector’s social partners agreed to increase minimum wage. (Ref. 130734)
Initiatives following a tragedy. This agreement is very important because it applies to all businesses and plants in the textile industry in Bangladesh. The debates involved the international union federations, IndustriALL Global and UNI Global, which initiated the Global Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (referred to as “Accord” below). So far, this Accord – signed after the emotion wave sparked off when the Rana Plaza collapsed on April 24, killing 1,135 textile workers who worked for subcontractors of big western companies – has been signed by 103 brands and businesses, nearly all European, and covers 1,600 clothing workshops (see article No.
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