Press Release Sramik Nirapotta Forum
On Saturday 23 November, in remembrance of the devastating fire that killed 112 workers in Tazreen Fashion Factory SNF* visited Jurain Cemetry to lay flowers at the graves of 22 workers who have yet to be identified. Leaders of different national trade union federations and representatives of human rights and legal rights organisations paid their respects to the deceased at 9 am in the morning.
Speakers expressed their commitment to support workers’ struggle for ensuring compensation and rehabilitation for injured workers. They urged the Government to ensure that legal action is taken against all those responsible for criminal negligence leading to the fire.
A truck rally starting from Jurain graveyard reached in front of the Tazreen factory at Nishchintapur, where relatives and other garment workers were present. During the journey, activists of SNF distributed awareness raising leaflets amongst the workers at Rampura and Badda industrial area. They also visited critically injured worker Sumaya at her home and said they would try to support for her treatment and rehabilitation.
SNF Convener Dr. Hameeda Hossain, BILS Advisory Council Member Mesbahuddin Ahmed, Sramik Karmachari Oykya Parishad (SKOP) President Shafiuddin Ahmed, BILS Joint-Secretary General Md. Zafrul Hasan, Bangladesh Trade Union Kendra General Secretary Dr. Wajedul Islam Khan, Kormojibi Nari Executive Director Rokeya Rafiq Baby, Bangladesh Textile Garments Sramik Federation president Ismail Hossain, Bangladesh Sramik Federation Joint-Secretary Rafiqul Islam Pathik, SNF Member Secretary Syed Sultan Uddin Ahmmed and more than three hundred members of different organisations were present at the event.
*Sramik Nirapotta Forum (SNF) (Workers Safety Forum) consists of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies-BILS, Ain o Shalish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), Kormojibi nari, Action Aid Bangladesh, BRAC, Gonoshasthaya Kendra, Awaj Foundation, Safety and Rights, Ranar Foundation, Jatiya Sramik Jote, Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Sramik Dal, Trade Union Kendra and BILS affiliated national trade union federations.
”Punish culprits responsible for Tazreen fire”
Rights activists and labour leaders on Saturday demanded punishment to those responsible for the fire in Tazreen Fashion and proper compensation for the victims.
They said some of the victims had received financial assistance from the government but not any compensation from Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Hameeda Hossain, convener of Sramik Nirapatta Forum said if any worker received any such assistance that was not their compensation rather it was assistance.
Demanding compensation for the victims she said: “Tuba Group, the mother company of Tazreen, is running other businesses and they can manage compensation from there.”
At least 112 workers were killed and many were injured in the fire at Tazreen Garment Factory in Nischintapur, Ashulia, on November 24, 2012.
To mark one year of the tragic incident Sramik Nirapatta Forum, a platform of labour and human rights activists, yesterday organised a solidarity programme at Nishchintapur of Ashulia.
A group of victims and their family members also attended the programme.
Ahsan Habib Bulbul, organising secretary of Garment Sramik Front said: “As per International Labour Organisation convention compensation means approximate income of a labour which s/he can earn during her/his tenure of work which stood at around Tk 2.8m for each.”
Representatives from Bangladesh Trade Union Federation, Jatiya Sramik Jote, Rana Foundation, Ain o Salish Kendra, Ganoshasthaya Kendra, Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies said they would support the victims if any of them contacted their organisations including any legal support for realising compensation or medical services.
At a human chain in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, IndustriAll Bangladesh Council Secretary General Roy Romesh Chandra said if the government had taken punitive actions against the owners of Tazreen Fashion disaster like Rana Plaza would not have occurred.
He demanded safe working place, rights to form trade union in the ready made garment factories and compensation for victims of Tazreen Fashion fire incident.
From the demonstration IndustriAll Bangladesh also put forwarded six-point demand, including compliance of national building code, ensuring ethical buying and fair trade, rights to form trade union, forming workers welfare fund, full-fledged implementation of amended labour law 2013 and arrest of owners of Tazreen Fashion and other people involved in the fire incident.
Earlier, in the morning, the activists went to the Jurain Graveyard and placed flower sticks on the graves of victims of Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza disaster.
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