Presentation onMisery of Garment

Workers in BangladeshSubmitted to: Dr. Md. Monirul Islam

Head & Associate Prof.Dept. of CSE, IIUCByAbdur RahmanInternational Islamic University ChittagongDept. of CSEStudent ID: C151023

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Major Bangladeshi Factory Disasters:> Moon Fashion Fire

> Biswas Garment Fire

> Shan Knitting Fire

> Phoenix Garment Collapse

> Shamim Spinning Fire

> Sayem Fashions Stampede

> Spectrum Sweater Collapse

> Gharib & Gharib Fire

> Hameem Fire

> Tazreen Fashions Fire

> Rana Plaza Collapse

27/5/2015 *Source: Wikipedia.org

Spectrum Collapse:

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Response to Spectrum and other disasters 2005:Inditex: “The audit of the Asian manufacturers, carried out in accordance with BSCI methodology and by SAI-certified auditors, is in progress and is expected to be complete by the end of May.”

BGMEA/Government/ILO : “In February 2006, BGMEA began a programm of factory inspections to ensure there are fire exits, no locked exits, and to conduct fire drills. Since March 2006 BGMEA has recruited 20 staff in addition to the existing 20 to carry out these inspections. 1042 factories in Dhaka and 253 in Chittagong have been inspected in April 2006.”

27/5/2015*Source: globallabourrights.org

Garib and Garib Sweater Factory:

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After the Garib & Garib fire: February 2010Government: “The teams will make surprise visits and immediately inform BGMEA if they find any factory lacking adequate safety measures…BGMEA and BKMEA will take actions against the non-compliant factories…all garment factories must keep their rooftops accessible; the rooftop doors, factory entrances, fire escapes, and emergency gates must always remain unlocked; fabrics and other flammable materials cannot be kept laying around on factory floors; and all factories must arrange fire drills on a regular basis.”

27/5/2015*Source: globallabourrights.org

Ha-meem Garment Factory Fire:

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After the Ha-meem fire: December 2010Unions, NGOs convene meeting in Dhaka, April 2011, and implore brands and retailers to commit to an urgent program of independent inspections and to pay for renovations and repairs.

27/5/2015 *Source: globallabourrights.org

Death Toll in Garment Factory Disasters Since 2010:

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Year Factory Brands Deaths2005 Spectrum Garments Target, JC Penney, Abercrombie & Fitch

and Gap64

2005 KTS Uni Hosiery, Mermaid International, ATT Enterprise, and VIDA Enterprise Corp.

54

2006 The Phoenix Building European Brands 1502006 Shamim Spinning 262009 Tazreen Fashion US Marines, C&A, Walmart, Li & Fung 1242010 Garib and Garib Sweater Factory H&M 212010 Ha-Meem Group Gap, Target, Denim & Others 29

*Sources: nytimes.com : cleanclothes.org

Total Deaths: 468

Tazreen Fashion:

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Tazreen Fashion:When it opened in 2009 the Tazreen Fashion factory employed 1,630 workers and produced T-shirts, polo shirts and jackets for various companies and organizations. Such as: the US Marines, the Dutch company C&A, the American company Walmart and the Hong Kong based company Li & Fung.

The factory was flagged in May 2011 by Walmart as high risk condition.The fire, presumably caused by a short circuit, started on the ground floor of the nine-storied factory, trapping the workers on the floors above.

More than 124 workers have died.

27/5/2015 *Source: Wikipedia.org

Rana Plaza:Rana Plaza collapse was a structural failure that occurred on 24 April, 2013 in the Savar where an eight-story commercial building named Rana Plaza, collapsed.It is considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, as well as the deadliest accidental structural failure in modern human history.Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before had been ignored. Garment workers were ordered to work and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.1,127 has died; more than 2,000 injured, including many on-site amputations

27/5/2015 *Source: Wikipedia.org

After Rana Plaza collapse:Home minister MK Alamgir: “A huge number of picketers had attacked the building during the opposition-called hartal(strike), resulting in the collapse of the multi-storied building.”

Compensation: $21.5 million has been deposited so far to the Rana Plaza donor’s trust fund, the international fund created for the compensation. But unfortunately the victim’s family have got only 30% of the amount

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*Sources: thedailystar.net : cleanclothes.org

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Collapsed Rana Plaza

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Fire Fighters, Military & General People are Rescuing

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The Rescue Team are Working on Night

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Concealed Workers Under the Walls

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Roars & Prayers of Victim’s Relatives & Family

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Dead Bodies of Workers & Coffins

Increasing Death Chart of Garment Workers:

2005 2006 2009 2010 2013100

300

500

700

900

1100

1300

1500Death Chart

Deaths Injured

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Bangladesh Garment Industry: Thousands of Deathtraps

• Many poorly constructed buildings with weak foundations; floors added illegally after original construction• Most factories lack proper fire exits:• No external fire escapes

• Missing safety systems• No emergency lighting• Missing fire extinguishers

• No worker role in safety management, no unions, weak or no safety training• Managers restrict egress: lock doors to control workers; delay exit to avoid

loss of production, hoping alarms are false

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Lethal Partnership: The Global Apparel Brands and Bangladesh

• Conditions:• Minimum wage: $37/months (18 cents an hour)• Routine harassment and intimidation as management strategy to speed production• Unionists are fired – or worse• Most dangerous place in the world to be an apparel worker

• Garment workers position in Bangladesh:• Bangladesh now the 2nd largest apparel producer after China• 5,000 factories; 3 million workers (far more than US peak)

• More than 4,000 killed in fires and collapses since 2012• Buyers are getting what they pay for: an industry of Triangle Shirtwaist factories • Bangladesh is winning the race to bottom, with room

to spare

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Walmart: Don’t Worry – Workers Are Protected by Our Incompetent Inspections

Walmart’s CEO, Mike Duke, in a public statement: “We will not buy from an unsafe factory.”

Walmart’s head of labour rights compliance, in an internal memo: “Fire and electrical safety are not currently adequate covered in ethical sourcing audits.”

27/5/2015 *Source: cleanclothes.org

UnprecedentedThe first binding agreement ever signed by global corporations that forces them to pay to improve working conditions and to align their sourcing decisions with their labor rights obligations

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What Students Can do?• Students can teach them about the uses of Fire Extinguisher,

Emergency Exit etc.• By making a strong community we can protest the greedy owners• With the help of media students community can ensure the privileges

& proper wages of workers

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References:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_Savar_building_collapse

http://www.cleanclothes.org/news/2005/04/01/factory-collapsed-bangladeshi-garment-

workers-buried-alive

http://www.globallabourrights.org/reports/unprecedented-changes-in-bangladesh

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/25/world/asia/bangladesh-building-collapse.html?_r=0

http://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/04/25/pro-shutdown-men-razed-plaza-says-alamgir

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