15 Charge Sheets Will be Issued Against Those Responsible, including the owner of Tazreen Fashions.

Source : Prothom Alo | 24 November 2013

আশুলিয়ায় তাজরীন ফ্যাশনসে অগ্নিকাণ্ডের ঘটনায় প্রতিষ্ঠানের মালিক দেলোয়ার হোসেনের গাফিলতির প্রমাণ পেয়েছে পুলিশের অপরাধ তদন্ত বিভাগ (সিআইডি)। এ ঘটনায় দেলোয়ার, তাঁর স্ত্রী প্রতিষ্ঠানের পরিচালক মাহমুদা আক্তারসহ ১৫ জনের বিরুদ্ধে অবহেলাসহ বিভিন্ন অভিযোগে শিগগিরই অভিযোগপত্র দেওয়া হবে।
তবে অগ্নিকাণ্ডের পর সরকার, বিজিএমইএসহ বিভিন্ন মহল থেকে নাশকতার যে কথা বলা হয়েছিল, তদন্তে এর কোনো প্রমাণ পায়নি সিআইডি। তদন্তের সঙ্গে যুক্ত সিআইডির কর্মকর্তারা জানিয়েছেন, তাঁরা তদন্ত শেষ করেছেন। বর্তমানে আইনি যাচাইয়ের জন্য তদন্ত প্রতিবেদনটি সরকারি কৌঁসুলির কাছে পাঠানো হয়েছে।

গত বছরের ২৪ নভেম্বর সন্ধ্যায় রাজধানীর অদূরে আশুলিয়ার নিশ্চিন্তপুরের তাজরীন ফ্যাশনসে আগুন লাগে। এতে অন্তত ১১১ জন নিহত, দুই শতাধিক আহত ও অসুস্থ হয়েছেন। কিন্তু গত এক বছরেও দেলোয়ার গ্রেপ্তার না হওয়ায় ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত শ্রমিক পরিবারসহ বিভিন্ন মহলে ক্ষোভ রয়ে গেছে। বলা হচ্ছে, নাশকতার কথা প্রচার করে কৌশলে তাঁকে রক্ষার চেষ্টা করা হয়েছে।
ঘটনার পরদিন আশুলিয়া থানা পুলিশ অজ্ঞাত লোকদের আসামি করে কারখানায় অগ্নিসংযোগের অভিযোগ এনে একটি মামলা করে। ওই মামলায় নাশকতার (দণ্ডবিধির ৪৩৬) পাশাপাশি অবহেলার দরুন মৃত্যুর (৩০৪ ক) ধারাও যুক্ত করা হয়। গত ২ জানুয়ারি থেকে মামলাটি তদন্ত করে সিআইডি।

মামলার তদন্তকারী সিআইডির জ্যেষ্ঠ সহকারী পুলিশ সুপার (এএসপি) মনছুর আলী মণ্ডল বলেন, কারখানার মালিকের বিরুদ্ধে অবহেলার স্পষ্ট প্রমাণ মিলেছে। বিল্ডিং কোড অনুযায়ী তাঁরা কারখানা ভবন নির্মাণ করেননি। এতে জরুরি বহির্গমন পথ ছিল না। তিনটি সিঁড়ির মধ্যে দুটি নিচতলার গুদামের ভেতরে এসে শেষ হয়েছে, আর একটি একটু দূরে। আর আগুন লেগেছিল ওই গুদামেই। যার কারণে অগ্নিকাণ্ডের পরে শ্রমিকেরা নিচে নেমে আসতে পারেননি।

তদন্তে সংশ্লিষ্ট ব্যক্তিরা বলেন, কারখানার ছয়টি ফ্লোরের মধ্যে কয়েকটিতে মধ্যম পর্যায়ের কর্মকর্তারা দরজা আটকে রেখেছিলেন। অগ্নিঘণ্টা বাজার পরও শ্রমিকদের নিচে নামতে দেননি তাঁরা। আগুন ও ধোঁয়া সব সময় উর্ধ্বমুখী। গুদামে থাকা সিনথেটিক ও অ্যাক্রিলিক দিয়ে তৈরি কাপড় খুব দ্রুত জ্বলে ভয়ংকর বিষাক্ত ধোঁয়া তৈরি করেছে। এই ধোঁয়া সিঁড়ির খোলা অংশ দিয়ে বিভিন্ন তলায় ছড়িয়ে পড়ে। সেই গরম ও বিষাক্ত ধোঁয়া নিঃশ্বাসের সঙ্গে ঢুকে অজ্ঞান হয়ে পড়েন মানুষগুলো। পরে সেখানেই পুড়ে অঙ্গার হন তাঁরা।

মামলা তদন্ত শুরুর পরে কারখানার মধ্যম পর্যায়ের ছয়জন কর্মকর্তাকে গ্রেপ্তার করে বিভিন্ন মেয়াদে হেফাজতে (রিমান্ডে) নিয়ে জিজ্ঞাসাবাদ করা হয়েছিল। তবে গ্রেপ্তার হননি অবহেলার দায়ে প্রধান অভিযুক্ত কারখানার মালিক দেলোয়ার হোসেন। গত ঈদুল আজহার আগে বাড্ডায় দেলোয়ারের মালিকানাধীন তুবা গ্রুপের আরেকটি কারখানায় বেতন-বোনাস না দিয়ে গোপনে যন্ত্রপাতি বিক্রির চেষ্টার অভিযোগে শ্রমিকেরা তাঁকে কারখানার ভেতরে সারা দিন আটকে রেখেছিলেন। কিন্তু এবারও তিনি রক্ষা পেয়ে যান।

তাজরীনের ঘটনা তদন্তে স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয় গঠিত কমিটির প্রতিবেদনে (গত বছরের ১৭ ডিসেম্বর জমা দেওয়া) দেলোয়ারের ভূমিকা প্রসঙ্গে বলা হয়, তাজরীন ফ্যাশনসের মালিক দেলোয়ার হোসেন মোবাইল ফোনে আগুনের খবর পেয়ে ঘটনাস্থলে যান ঠিকই, কিন্তু দূর থেকে আগুন দেখে আত্মগোপনে চলে যান। ঘটনার দুই দিন পর অগ্নিকাণ্ডের বিষয়টিকে দুর্ঘটনা উল্লেখ করে আশুলিয়া থানায় একটি সাধারণ ডায়েরি (জিডি) করেন তিনি। সেই ডায়েরিতে হতাহত শ্রমিকদের কথা কিছুই উল্লেখ না করে ২০০ কোটি টাকা ক্ষতি হয়েছে বলে দাবি করা হয়। অথচ তদন্ত কমিটির কাছে দেওয়া সাক্ষ্যে তিনি উল্লেখ করেন, মোট ক্ষয়ক্ষতির পরিমাণ ৬৩ কোটি টাকা। থানার জিডি ও পরবর্তী সময় সাক্ষ্যে ক্ষতির পরিমাণের এই বিশাল তারতম্যের পেছনে কোনো দুরভিসন্ধিজাত অন্তর্ঘাত আছে কি না তা বিবেচনার দাবি রাখে বলে প্রতিবেদনে বলা হয়।

গার্মেন্টস শ্রমিক ট্রেড ইউনিয়ন কেন্দ্রের যুগ্ম সাধারণ সম্পাদক জলি তালুকদার বলেন, কারখানা আইন অনুযায়ী কারখানাটি করা হয়নি। তাই বলা যায়, এটি হত্যাকাণ্ড এবং এর দায়ভার কারখানা মালিককেই নিতে হবে। তিনি বলেন, এ রকম হত্যার পরে যখন সেই মালিক গ্রেপ্তার হন না, তখন অন্যরাও একই রকম আইন না মেনে কারখানা তৈরিতে উৎসাহিত হন। এটা নিরাপদ কর্মপরিবেশ তৈরির প্রধান অন্তরায়।

বাংলাদেশ গার্মেন্টস অ্যান্ড ইন্ডাস্ট্রিয়াল শ্রমিক ফেডারেশনের সভাপতি বাবুল আক্তার বলেন, বাংলাদেশের দণ্ডবিধিতে অবহেলার দরুন মৃত্যু (৩০৪ ক) সংঘটনের সর্বোচ্চ সাজা পাঁচ বছর। কিন্তু দেলোয়ারের জন্য পাঁচ বছরের সাজা যথেষ্ট নয়। হত্যার অভিযোগে তাঁর সাজা হওয়া উচিত।

শ্রমিক সংগঠনগুলোর অভিযোগ, পোশাক মালিকদের সংগঠন বিজিএমইএ দেলোয়ার হোসেনকে আগলে রেখেছে।

ঘটনার কয়েক দিন পরে রেহানা নামে নিখোঁজ এক শ্রমিকের ভাই আবদুল মতিন ঢাকার নিম্ন আদালতে দেলোয়ারের বিরুদ্ধে হত্যার অভিযোগে একটি নালিশি মামলা করেন। আদালত থেকে আশুলিয়া থানাকে তা তদন্ত করতে নির্দেশ দেন। আশুলিয়া থানার ভারপ্রাপ্ত কর্মকর্তা (ওসি) বদরুল আলম গতকাল শনিবার প্রথম আলোকে বলেন, ‘এই ঘটনায় আরও একটি মামলা হয়েছে, এখন আর মামলার সুযোগ নেই। এই বিষয়টি উল্লেখ করে আমরা আদালতে প্রতিবেদন দিয়েছি।’

মেলেনি নাশকতার প্রমাণ: গত বছরের ৩১ ডিসেম্বর পোশাক কারখানা মালিকদের সংগঠন বিজিএমইএ তাদের তদন্ত প্রতিবেদনে বলেছিল, তাজরীনের ঘটনা পূর্ব পরিকল্পিত নাশকতা। সেখানে নাশকতার জন্য লোক পাতা হয়েছিল।

আর স্বরাষ্ট্র মন্ত্রণালয়ের গঠিত তদন্ত কমিটির প্রতিবেদনেও নাশকতার কথা বলা হয়। সেখানে বলা হয়, আগুন নিয়ন্ত্রণের বাইরে চলে যাওয়ার প্রায় ৩০ মিনিট পর ফায়ার সার্ভিসকে খবর দেওয়া হয়। এতে সুস্পষ্ট প্রতীয়মান হয়, স্বেচ্ছায় কারখানার সুতা ও কাপড়ের গুদামে অগ্নিসংযোগ করা হয়েছে। এটি কোনো স্বাভাবিক দুর্ঘটনা নয়। সব বিশ্লেষণ করে এটা প্রতীয়মান হয়, এর পেছনে কোনো অশুভ শক্তির নাশকতামূলক তৎপরতা ছিল।

তবে সিআইডির তদন্ত কর্মকর্তা এএসপি মনসুর আলী বলেন, ‘আমাদের তদন্তে নাশকতার কোনো প্রমাণ মেলেনি। যদিও মামলার এজাহারে নাশকতার অভিযোগ অন্তর্ভুক্ত ছিল।’

Necessary Compensation and Injury costs for Victims of Garment Factory disasters are a responsibility of the Government and the businesses involved.

The video begins with a clip from a Regional consultation which was held by the Asian Pacific Women in Law and Development, ASK and Nijera Kori on ”Framing Development Justice” . The government representative from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Saida Muna Tasneem spoke about the positive aspects of the growing garment industrys and how ”economic empowerment is the mother of all empowerment” for women.

In the context of the garment industry, this video was designed to show the basic rights which are not being met by garments workers and issues which they face.

This video was shown at the National Consultation on women in the garments sector, where activists from the ground were able to bring issues directly to UN Mandate holders Heisoo Shin, an Expert Member from the Committee which monitors the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by its Member States parties. Kamala Chandrakirana, Member of working group on the discrimination against women in law and in practice and Milena Pires, Expert Member, from the Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women, the committee recommendations on any issue affecting women to which it believes the States parties should devote more attention.

This video features Sara Hossain speaking at the ”Framing Development Justice Regional Consultation which was held on the 27-28th October 2013.

UN Guiding Principles for Business and Human Rights can be found on this link ohchr.org/Documents/Publications/GuidingPrinciplesBusinessHR_EN.pdf

Photos of Sumaya – Ayon Rehal

 

Jurain Graveyard

Members vowed to continue their struggle for ensuring compensation and rehabilitation for the workers

Truck Rally

Different speakers spoke on the mobile rally from Jurain Graveyard to Nishchinthapur

Nishchinthapur Primary School

SNF Demand that the government bring those responsible to account through legal action.

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.

ASK Investigation Report – Garments Factory Fire – 24 November 2012 – Nafeesa

ASK Opinion | ”BGMEA should also have been more alert in giving membership to non compliant companies”

‘’The government probe committee has said the fire was a sabotage, perhaps the sabotage is by persons who failed in their responsibility to comply with legal provisions or to ensure compliance.   Independent investigators have found many lapses in complying with the building code, safety regulations and so on. The factory received a sanction for three floors from RAJUK but it went up to the seventh floor and construction was continuing on two more floors.   This was a clear violation, and an independent and transparent enquiry commission would attribute responsibility to the owner, the management and the regulating authority. The fire service had not renewed its fire license and yet it allowed it to continue manufacturing. This was a violation of the safety regulations and shows lapses by the fire department.   Labour inspectors had not taken any steps to prevent the factory from using the entrance area for storage of raw material, and there were no complaint mechanisms where the workers could report on locked gates.   BGMEA should also have been more alert in giving membership to non compliant companies.

The Tazreen fire victims are yet to receive any compensation one year after the industrial disaster, one of the worst in the country’s history, owing to mainly American retailers’ refusal to do so.
Not only that, Delwar Hossain, owner of Tuba Group, the parent company of Tazreen Fashions, remains at large despite the filing of two cases and a writ petition were filed against him.
“This is disgusting,” Roy Ramesh Chandra, general secretary of the local arm of IndustriALL, a global union federation, said about the retailers’ resistance towards committing money for the $6 million compensation programme for Tazreen survivors and families.

Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, said the response from “some European brands” has been “good”, but so far “none of the American retailers have agreed to pay a single penny” for compensation.
The US retail giant Wal-Mart has been singled out for criticism. Production documents recovered after the Tazreen fire indicate that 55 percent of the factory’s production two months prior to the incident on November 24, was for Wal-Mart contractors.
The line of reasoning put forward for not participating in the compensation effort being that the Wal-Mart-related production at Tazreen was unauthorised.
“Wal-Mart is one company that is showing an astonishing lack of responsibility, considering that so much of their product was being made at the Tazreen factory,” Samantha Maher, a campaign coordinator for the British arm of the Clean Clothes Campaign, a European anti-sweatshop group, told The New York Times.
Another such retailer with no intention of providing monetary aid for Tazreen victims is Sears, and its line of reasoning is the same as Wal-Mart’s: that an unauthorised contractor had been producing on its behalf at Tazreen.
Some industry analysts say Wal-Mart, Sears and other American retailers are reluctant to join the compensation efforts because they fear it could be seen as an admission of wrongdoing, perhaps leading to legal liability.
Some also say the Americans fear they will look hypocritical if they contribute to a compensation fund after they asserted that any production done for them in the factory was unauthorised.
To date, families of 97 of the 112 who died in the fire at the factory in Ashulia were given a little above Tk 7 lakh from the Prime Minister’s fund and other organisations, according to Chandra.
The families of the 15 deceased in the fire were not remunerated as their identities could not be traced, he added.
“But this is not compensation. We are demanding a package in terms of ‘loss of earnings’ as recommended by ILO, so that the victims’ dependents can continue a standard life.”
As for the 140 severely injured workers, “no one is taking care of them”.
Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manu-facturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the garment makers’ platform, said the incidences of Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza collapse were an imperative lesson for all.
“We started a new journey in the garment sector after that,” he said, while citing the factory inspections for both for structural integrity and fire and electrical safety as a legacy of the incidents.
“By December 2014, we want to deliver a good message to the world that we have done something extraordinary on fire and building safety as every stakeholder is working together to strengthen the fire and building safety.”
Delwar Hossain could not be contacted despite several attempts for his comments.
Meanwhile, a US Senate report urged Wal-Mart, Gap and other retailers to respect labour unions in Bangladesh, saying workers desperately needed greater rights after hundreds died in fires.
The staff report from the Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Democratic Party majority came as Bangladesh’s government and foreign retailers agreed to start safety inspections on the 3,500 factories.
For the workers, Senator Robert Menendez, the chairman of the committee, said: “We should not rest until these individuals are given the rights they deserve and the tools they need to protect themselves.”
“No consumer will want to wear clothing if it’s stained by the blood of innocent workers,” Menendez said in a statement.
“One year ago, the world woke up to the horror caused by unsafe working conditions for Bangladesh’s garment workers,” Menendez said commenting on the Tazreen fire.
The senator, who in June chaired a hearing on the country’s labour issues, joined other senators in calling on the administration to suspend preferential trade status to Bangladesh. The Obama administration suspended trade privileges for Bangladesh on June 27.

From Left to Right : UN Special Mandate Holders | Milena Pires, Heisoo Shin, Kamala Chandrakirana. Khushi Kabir – Nijera Kori, Convened the session

The national consultation with the special United Nations Mandate Holders on “Framing Development Justice” for women in the Readymade Garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh was held at the BRAC Centre Inn Auditorium on October 30^th, 2013. The consultation was organised by the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD), Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) and Nijera Kori. The consultation brought together various stakeholders of the sector, including workers, union leaders, activists and authorities, to hear the experiences of women suffering from occupational hazards in the RMG industry and identify the challenges that need attention and action. It enabled the voices from the ground to reach the UN special mandate holders. They advised to the activists to submit official communication to the relevant special procedures addressing the realities.

Khushi Kabir, Coordinator of Nijera Kori moderated the discussions.

Who Were the Mandate Holders?

Heisoo Shin | ”What are the new policies for checking old buildings? These recent tragedies mean the government needs to upgrade policies”

Heisoo Shin is an Expert Member of the Committee on the Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which is constituted with  18 independent experts to monitor the implementation of the International Covenant of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights by States parties.

Kamala Chandrakirana is a Member of working group on the Discrimination against women in law and in practice.

Milena Pires is an Expert Member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Committee monitors the implementation of the convention on the Elimination of the All Forms of Violence Against Women.

Living Wage for the Workers

Kate Lappin- Regional Coordinator of APWLD in her presentation explained that, the living wage,calculated based on a combination of food and non-food costs, is the minimum income required to meet the basic costs of living for a family of two adults and two children, without requiring overtime work. She showed that the calculated living wage for Bangladesh is Tk. 13,254.

Fahmida Khatun- Director, Centre for Policy Dialogue Bangladesh mentioned that Garment workers receive the lowest minimum wage among all major industrial sectors in Bangladesh, and there is constant pressure from buyers and manufacturers to keep wages down in order to ensure their own profits. Making matters worse are the subcontracting factories that compete with manufacturers for low cost, resulting in a race to the bottom that further contributes to the injustice.

Victims and Activists shared their experiences

Several victims from Rana Plaza and Tazreen Factories had the opportunity to share their experiences.  Activists who had been working with the garment factory victims spoke about the struggles with DNA Testing process, victim and rescuer support, compensation, health care etc.

Father of three victims of Rana Plaza being held back by campaigners for the justice of Garment workers, (left) Taslima Akhter and Saydia Gulrukh. In the background, a photo taken by Taslima Akhter of a family mourning in a room of Rana Plaza Corpses.

Ale Noor-,Victim of Tazreen Garments fire. Ale Noor is one of many such survivors who continue to struggle with disabilities and economic hardship in the aftermath of the tragedy, calling to attention the necessity of continued rehabilitation support for victims.

”a specific criminal case needs to be filed against the owner, we need to set a precedent that factory-owners cannot go unpunished. That, they are not above the law.”

The Barrister who feels strongly about non enforcement of existing laws in the garments industry context, Jyotirmoy Barua, spoke about the writ petition he filed against the Owner of Tazreen Fashions for criminal negligence. The writ was filed by three  anthropologists,  Naznin Akter Banu, Saydia Gulrukh Kamal and Mahmudul Hasan Sumon, seeking directives for the arrest of Tazreen’s owner Md Delwar Hossain to ensure his trial for criminal liabilities.

Barrister Jyotirmoy shared that, though a majority of the accidents in garment factories can be traced back to the deliberate negligence of factory owners, bribing, nepotism, case file disappearances, etc. have impeded arrest and proper trial of those guilty. In the case of the Tazreen Garments fire, owner Delwar Hossain is yet to face trial even after a Probe Committee report was submitted by the government acknowledging the deliberate negligence of the owner in ensuring safety standards, which made him eligible to be tried under criminal law.

He also informed that, in the most recent hearing for the writ petition, the High Court has ordered the government pay for the treatment of Sumaiya Khatun, a Tazreen factory worker who has developed cancer since her ordeal trapped inhaling fumes in the Tazreen fire. The government has yet to respond whilst her condition has been deteriorating rapidly while undergoing chemotherapy, she has lost her sight and hearing.

He concluded saying that until support from state and the legal system can be established, activists and human rights lawyers will continue to struggle to find justice, and crimes committed against garments workers will continue to go unpunished.

“Events like Tazreen and Rana Plaza are reported as an ‘unfortunate event that happened.’ But when a similar event happens over and over, it’s not an accident. It’s structural killing.”

Saydia Gulrukh, one of the  panelists at the consultation, said that instead of euphemising these incidents as “tragedies”, we should recognize them as acts of deliberate negligence and bring the relevant authorities to justice. Rescue and rehabilitation processes need to take into account the realities of the situation and limitations. Given the state of forensic science in Bangladesh, reliance on DNA tests is not an adequate or efficient way to determine compensation. Nor are one-time compensations sufficient to cover the cost of medical expenses of survivors with long-term health consequences.

She also emphasised the importance of the Bangladesh government ratifying the ILO Convention C121 (click to view), concerning ”Benefits in the Case of Employment Injury” (Entry into force: 28 Jul 1967). She has been witnessing the problems which the victims and their families have had to face since the Tazreen Factory Fire, through to SMART fashions, Rana Plaza and the recent Aswad Composite Garments factory accidents. 

”Why are our Bangladesh workers viewed as the cheapest therefore disposable labour?”

Taslima Akhter, a photojournalist and an active campaigner for workers rights from the Bangladesh Garment workers Solidarity, highlighted how the workers were not to blame if there was a dent in the garment industry of Bangladesh, it is the owners, building inspectors, BGMEA and the government who are to blame for not taking the necessary measures to meet their needs and empower them with the rights they are entitled to. She spoke of the garment workers in Bangladesh being perceived as the ”cheapest” therefore disposable, hence the lack of value for their rights.

She also pointed out that we also need to be wary of the fact that trade unions are not the panacea to ensuring workers’ rights as union leaders are often controlled and bought off by factory owners, making it increasingly more difficult for workers to protest against violations without putting their jobs at risk.

Commenting on the testimonials of the garment workers, Khushi Kabir pointed out that the responsibility to act and address the highlighted concerns lies at all levels- with international bodies, governments, trade unions, owners, and citizens. Scarce employment opportunities have driven many women to work in this sector, but there is need to strengthen their bargaining power through trade unions. Workers should be granted the rights they deserve, but this does not need to come at the expense of threatening the industry.

BGMEA Representative listened as the Union Representative spoke of the shameful figure submitted by the BGMEA for Minimum wage of garment workers

Government representative from the Ministry of Labour, Aminul Islam admitted there were many errors made in dealing with a disaster of this scale

Kamala Chandrakirana, ”Complaints should be launched to the Working Group by international bodies and grassroots organizations providing further information on these incidents so it can write to the government with recommendations on how to increase the effectiveness of its remedial efforts and prevent similar disasters from arising in the future.”

Recommendations from the Consultation

1. Government should follow international human rights standards since it is party to several international treaties protecting the rights of workers
2. Complaints should be launched to the Working Group by international bodies and grassroots organizations providing further information on these incidents so it can write to the government with recommendations on how to increase the effectiveness of its remedial efforts and prevent similar disasters from arising in the future.
3. Investment is needed from manufacturers, buyers and development partners to improve skill and efficiency of workers and to modernize factories with improved technology and working conditions, all of which will contribute towards increasing productivity.
4. These investments need to be carefully monitored to ensure accountability and transparency. In addition, subcontracting firms should be integrated into the supply chain in order to remedy the compliance and capacity issues of these factories.
5. The wage should be calculated on the basis of the take-home pay earned during normal working hours, without counting overtime that diminishes the workers’ health and well-being.
6. Existence of trade unions is vital.  Trade unions are a must if we want to guarantee the rights and security of workers and give them bargaining power. Fighting for workers’ rights for decent wage and working conditions would allow employers the chance to benefit from the increased buying power of workers, which in turn will increase the buying power of the entire economy
   

   Milena Pires , ”The Committee on CEDAW evaluates compliance of states with the CEDAW Convention. Though Bangladesh has ratified both the Convention and the Optional Protocol of CEDAW, it made reservations on two articles of the Protocol that repeals the right of the Committee to initiate inquiries on grave and systemic violations of women’s rights within the jurisdiction of the country. Had the authority been granted, the discrimination against women garment workers in Bangladesh, especially in light of the recent Rana Plaza collapse, would have provided sufficient grounds for the Committee to initiate an investigation”

7. The discrimination experienced by young women employed in this sector needs to be incorporated into the compensation system
8. Short-term priorities should include- a) publication of the probe committee report and DNA report in order to regain public trust and identify the accountable parties for the systemic violations, b) addressing the stigmatization of the men and women fighting for the rights of the victims as foreign agents, and c) necessity of discussing the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights with BGMEA representatives.
9. The civil society and the legal sector need to work together to create pressure on the authorities and the government to ensure workers’ rights. Responses should focus on improving working conditions rather than shifting the industry that plays such a vital role in the economic growth of Bangladesh.

Sultana Kamal- Executive Director, Ain O Sailish Kendra (ASK), in her concluding remarks , said that, “a mutual sense of responsibility and accountability need to exist between workers and manufacturers to contribute positively towards the development of the RMG sector. The concerned authorities need to be wary and respectful of their duties as these recurring factory accidents are not isolated incidents, but direct results of continuous negligence and irresponsibility on their parts. The state needs to create pressure on the factory owners, who enjoy government facilities and access to public funds, to offer a living wage to their workers and thereby guarantee the right to healthy living to its constituents. Similarly, garment owners also need to be held responsible and accountable to citizens for the injustice and violations of workers’ rights. Unless everyone plays their part in putting an end to this injustice, lives will continue to be lost, and the prospects of the whole sector would be compromised.”