April 24 is a date that should not be and cannot be ever obliterated from our memory. Rana Plaza collapsed on the morning of a hot summer day, on April 24, 2013. At least 1,136 people, mostly garment workers, were killed and over 2,500 others injured in the deadliest garment factory disaster in history as the nine-storey building came crashing down in Savar.
TWO years ago, the Rana Plaza building collapsed, crushing workers and drawing the world's attention to the readymade garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh.
Nine years have passed since the collapse of Rana Plaza, and yet majority of the survivors are still reeling from the traumas, both physical and mental, of that fateful day.
April 24 is a date that should not be and cannot be ever obliterated from our memory.
The country's garment sector has been going through some major reforms since the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 with rights activists stressing the need for strengthening further the workplace safety and labour rights.
THE families of Rana Plaza victims have passed two years crying for their dear and near ones, suffering in their daily lives and waiting for due compensation and jobs.
Rana Plaza collapsed on the morning of a hot summer day, on April 24, 2013. Officially, 1100 workers died but the true total is much higher, probably closer to 1400 or 1500. The difference is on account of the 'missing' workers, of the bodies never found or those that lacked documentation as workers.
They had come to Dhaka for jobs so they could get out of poverty and help their families. But the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse not only demolished their hopes but also pushed them into endless misery.
Over four million people's lives are closely intertwined with the ready-made garments (RMG) industry in Bangladesh—as are the deaths of over a thousand workers of Rana Plaza, which collapsed on this day six years ago. I remember it was a day of scorching sunshine. The Bengali New Year had begun only ten days earlier. This is usually a time of joy and celebration when people take a fresh look at their life and make plans that would change their future. What was it like for those ill-fated workers?
Bangladesh has made impressive strides in making workplace safe in the garment sector in recent years as factory owners strengthened safety as per proposals of international brands and retailers, said union leaders, analysts, the ILO, and entrepreneurs.
Six years have passed, but the trial of the murder case filed over the Rana Plaza collapse is yet to begin due to High Court stay orders.
Nilufar Begum, 35, a survivor of Rana Plaza tragedy, worked on the fifth floor of the building. Her right leg was severely injured in the incident. Six years have passed since the building collapsed, but she is still living in trauma.
Five years after Rana Plaza collapse, the deadliest garment factory accident in history that took over a thousand lives, the collective efforts of the Bangladesh government, entrepreneurs, apparel retailers and brands, workers' rights groups, NGOs and inspection bodies such as the Accord and Alliance, have led to considerable progress in fire, electrical and structural safety in Bangladesh's garment factories. But more needs to be done.
This Garment Sramik Sanghati slogan is a response to Rana Plaza—a death trap for 1,135 workers, and many more injured and disabled. A tragedy caused by a corporate violation of rules, neglect of responsibility in a global chain that starts in the villages of Bangladesh and reaches the world's capitals.
The safety in Bangladesh's factories covered by the Accord has improved dramatically since 2013. Accord till date has covered 1,625
Workplace accident insurance should be introduced for workers in all industrial sectors to ensure security, said speakers at a
After the Rana Plaza tragedy, in July 2013, the government signed a plan of action on fire safety and structural integrity in the garment sector with the employers' and workers' organisations.
The readymade garments (RMG) sector of Bangladesh has undertaken significant compliance measures to ensure safety of factories...
