- 2005
- 11 April
The Spectrum collapse
The Spectrum collapse on 11 April 2005, which killed 64 workers and injured 80, drew the world’s attention to the abysmal safety situation in Bangladesh’s garment factories. The collapse was certainly not the first major factory incident in the country, but the outrage this time led to an increase in corporate social audits focused on building safety and the setting up of a government task force to look into safety. From the outset labour groups raised concerns that this response was not systematic enough and that implementation was wanting. In 2006, after these measures were introduced, dozens more workers were killed in a number of safety incidents including 63 at KTS Textile Industries.
- 2010
- 25 February
Garib & Garib fire and the development of a safety standards proposal for Bangladesh
A fire at H&M, Teddy and LC Waikiki supplier Garib & Garib Sweater Factory in Dhaka in February 2010 cost the lives of 21 workers. In the wake of the fire, international labour rights organisations developed Health and Safety Action Points for Buyers, released in April, on the 5th anniversary of the Spectrum Factory collapse. The presentation of the Action Points was followed by a proposal to organise a meeting of government, buyers, industry and trade unions. This meeting finally took place in December 2010 but yielded no real results. Shortly afterwards a new fire, in the That’s it Sportswear/Hameem factory, which supplied to Gap, PVH Target and others, killed 29 workers.
- 2010
- 13 August
Wage protests and labour leader arrests
In June 2010 garment workers in Ashulia (Dhaka) took to the streets to protest their low wages. These protests built upon decades of ever returning protest waves against the poverty wages that characterised the garment sector in Bangladesh. In response to these specific protests, the government started a crackdown on labour activists and organisations, including the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. On 13 August, in the middle of the night, its founders Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter were arrested on trumped up charges. They would only be released on bail after spending a month in jail, after significant international pressure.
- 2011
- 01 April
Spectrum relief completed
On the 6th anniversary of the Spectrum collapse of 2005, the affected workers and families received the last tranche of their compensation payments. The Spectrum compensation scheme was agreed between Inditex (Zara) and the global trade union federation covering garment workers and was the first ever brand-union compensation scheme. Inditex did not disclose the number of workers and families compensated as well as the amounts paid. In April 2011 a multi-stakeholder meeting on factory safety in Dhaka also brought together representatives of factory owners, trade unions, buyers, and officials from the Fire Safety Department and the Building and Factories Departments. Participants discussed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would establish a programme of work aimed to prevent future tragedies.
- 2011
- 14 December
That’s it Sportswear compensation close to completion
By the one year anniversary of the That’s It Sportswear fire in which 29 workers died most brands connected to the factory had contributed to compensation for the killed workers, but they failed to take action to compensate injured workers.
- 2012
- 21 March
PVH first brand to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on factory safety in Bangladesh
In the wake a continuous string of factory incidents, labour rights activists developed a proposal for a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brands would be able to sign with unions to commit to an enforceable safety programme for their factories in Bangladesh with independent building inspections, worker rights training, public disclosure and a long-overdue review of safety standards. The first company to sign it was PVH, owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. On 14 September 2012, German brand Tchibo was the second retailer to sign the MoU. Read more about the developments that led to this ground-breaking MoU.
- 2012
- 04 April
Murder of Aminul Islam
Aminul Islam was a former garment worker and union activist of the Ashulia and Savar chapters of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and the Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity. He had been subjected to arrests and torture several times before in April 2012 his body was found outside Dhaka, bearing marks of torture. In 2018, one individual was found guilty for this crime. The verdict was based on scant evidence and against a man who disappeared immediately after the killing. It was rejected by Aminul’s colleagues and international supporters because of its failure to consider evidence of the links between the killing and Bangladesh security forces and failed to demand a more thorough investigation into the co-conspirators of the accused.
- 2012
- 24 November
Tazreen Fashions fire
A fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory, which supplied major brands including C&A, Dickies, Disney, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, El Corte Ingles, Enyce (Sean John), Karl Rieker, KiK, Piazza Italia, Sears/Kmart, Teddy Smith, Walmart, killed 112 workers and injured many more. Workers were trapped behind closed exits and barred windows. This horrific fire once more showed how brands’ lack of action in a demonstrably unsafe garment industry continued to cost workers’ lives.
- 2013
- 24 April
Rana Plaza collapse
On 23 April 2013 large structural cracks were discovered in the Rana Plaza building. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed. But warnings to avoid using the building were ignored by the garment factory owners of 5 factories on the upper floors. Garment workers were ordered to return to work the following day. If there would have been unions in these factories which could have collectively voiced the right to refuse unsafe work, or if workers would not have been earning poverty wages, they might not have entered the factory under threat of losing one month of wages. Poverty wages, lack of freedom of association and in some cases actual violence meant workers felt forced to enter an unsafe building. The building collapsed just an hour later, killing 1,138 people. The incident could have been entirely avoidable.
- 2013
- 01 May
1 million signatures to make brands sign on to the binding safety agreement
Immediately after the collapse, campaigning that had been ongoing escalated further. Unions, like UNI Global Union and IndustriALL, and other organisations in and outside the Clean Clothes Campaign network protested at storefronts and collected over 1 million signatures urging brands like H&M and Gap to sign on to a legally binding safety agreement (in line with the earlier MoU) by 15 May: a date agreed by brands during a meeting about factory safety shortly after the collapse.
- 2013
- 15 May
First brands sign the Bangladesh Accord
Over 30 brands, including the previous signatories PVH and Tchibo and new major sign ons like H&M, Inditex, C&A, Primark, and Benetton, signed what was now called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This groundbreaking binding agreement, in which unions have 50% of the say and can hold brands legally accountable if they don’t live up to their promises, went into effect immediately. Eventually, over 220 brands would sign on to this initial 5-year programme which would be renewed in 2018, making more than 1600 factories in Bangladesh safer for over 2.5 million workers. Read more about the history of how the Accord came about.
- 2013
- 10 July
Walmart and Gap announce a rival scheme
Gap and Walmart, two famous hold outs on the work towards a legally binding safety programme in Bangladesh, announced their own programme: the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. 15 other North American brands which failed to join the Accord became part of this initiative. The Accord’s witness signatories rejected this corporate driven scheme from the outset for its failure to include unions and lack of accountability. The witness signatories would continue to monitor the Alliance over the years and concluded that the programme lacked transparency and that many safety remediations were dangerously delayed, whereas others were too easily declared fulfilled. After 5, unconvincingly and contrary to the Accord, the Alliance declared its work “done.”
- 2013
- 15 July
Amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Law
Amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 included several improvements to the right to freedom of association. Union leaders’ names for example no longer had to be sent to employers upon registration of a trade union. At the same time, major hurdles to organising remained in place, such as the obligation to have the agreement of 30% of a workplace’s employees before registering a union, as well as limitations to the right to strike. Despite continuing barriers, the registration of garment sector unions increased sharply in the first years after the collapse of Rana Plaza and labour law reform. In later years this development would stall, and it also turned out that a large amount of these unions, were so called “yellow” unions – meeting the interests of employers or the government.
- 2013
- 01 September
Memorandum of Understanding on the Rana Plaza Arrangement reached
In September, at a first meeting with representatives of Bangladesh and global trade unions, some of the brands and retailers linked to Rana Plaza factories, international and Bangladesh NGOs and representatives of the Bangladesh government, participants agreed to work towards a proposal for calculating loss of income payments, in line with International Labour Organisation Convention 121 on employment injury benefits. In December, the Rana Plaza Arrangement and the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee were created. The compensation under ILO Convention 121 is calculated on the basis of compensation for lost income and does not include compensation for pain and suffering. Combined with the very low wages in the garment industry that the calculations were based on and the lack of further social security in Bangladesh, most families would continue to face hardship.
- 2013
- 14 November
The first wage increase since Rana Plaza
Workers demanding higher wages were met with violence on 25 September: more than 100 people were injured and dozens of factories shut their doors. In November the government agreed to a wage increase from 3,000 to 5,300 BDT per month, hardly keeping up with inflation. The Asia Floor Wage estimate for a living wage for a Bangladeshi family for 2013 amounted to 25,878 BDT per month.
- 2014
- 24 April
Rana Plaza compensation struggle
Despite the unprecented scale of the Rana Plaza disaster and brands’ verbal support for the agreement, many involved brands were neither swift nor generous with their compensation payments. One year after the collapse, brand engagement and campaigning had secured 15 million USD, primarily from brands whose clothes were made at Rana Plaza. This amount was still far removed from the amount needed to compensate all affected families. The campaign targeted several brands which sourced from the Rana Plaza factories and collected over 1 million signatures to convince hold out brands like Benetton to pay into the fund.
- 2014
- 24 November
Tazreen Trust Fund established
Exactly six months before the Rana Plaza collapse a factory fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory killed at least 112 people. The compensation struggle was overshadowed by the enormity of the Rana Plaza tragedy, but two years after the fire an agreement was reached with C&A and other involved brands to compensate affected families. In 2016, al payments to the families were finalised.
- 2015
- 01 June
30 million USD collected to fill Rana Plaza trust fund
After over two years of campaigning in June 2015 finally the 30 million USD needed to compensate the Rana Plaza families had come together. Between March 2014 and October 2015, the Rana Plaza Arrangement distributed these 30 million USD directly to the Rana Plaza families, with a further 1 million USD paid to cover ongoing medical costs.
- 2015
- 06 October
Letter of intent on Employment Injury Insurance
The Government of Bangladesh, the ILO, and the Government of Germany signed a letter of intent to introduce an Employment Injury Insurance scheme and set up a three-year technical cooperation project. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on various occasions since them expressed her commitment to the establishment of an Employment Injury Insurance scheme, both in 2016 and 2017.
- 2015
- 10 October
Witness signatories monitor brands’ progress under the Accord
Taking their role as witness signatory seriously, the NGOs that signed the Accord as witnesses next to brands and unions continued to monitor the Accord’s work and whether brands were meeting their obligations under the Accord. In a range of public reports (1, 2, 3), they urged brands to make haste with the mandated life-saving repairs and renovations that were behind deadline and to ensure that factories had enough funds available to implement these corrective actions in a timely manner.
- 2016
- 01 September
Trust for Injured Workers’ Medical Care including Rana Plaza workers established
Long-term physical and psychological treatment for workers injured in both factory incidents, was being provided by the Trust for Injured Workers’ Medical Care including Rana Plaza workers (the TIWMC), established in September 2016 and operational from February 2017. It is funded by payments from the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Trust Funds and provides direct treatment and free health care though other medical institutions to Trust beneficiaries.
- 2016
- 21 December
Wage protest crackdown
In December 2016, workers walked out of their factories to call for a tripling of wages. In response, at least 1,500 workers were dismissed, 38 union leaders and workers were arrested based on unsubstantiated criminal complaints, and trade union and NGO offices were closed or subject to intense harassment and interference by government authorities. While the minimum wage remained 5,300 BDT per month, Asia Floor Wage estimated a living wage to be 37,661 BDT per month at this point.
- 2017
- 06 April
Accord prevents factory collapse
In one example of the effectiveness of the interventions of the Accord, on 6 April 2017, the fact that workers could appeal to the Accord complaint mechanism prevented a likely factory collapse. Workers who noted cracks in the walls of their factory appealed to the Accord when the factory owner failed to act. The Accord ordered immediate evacuation of the building and ensured that workers only returned after completion of full remediation.
- 2017
- 29 June
New Accord announced by unions and brands
After four years of work under the Accord, it was clear to brands and unions that safety is an ongoing operation and that even the work to remediate all safety hazards found on first inspection was not entirely done yet even though the Accord was making progress. Therefore they negotiated and announced a new three year programme, due to run from June 2018 to June 2021. This new agreement contained an expanded training programme and offered the option for signatories to voluntarily add their home textiles and fabric and knit accessories suppliers to the Accord programme, which enabled companies that sell textiles, but not garments, to also sign up.
- 2017
- 04 July
Multifabs explosion
A boiler explosion at the Multifabs Ltd. factory killed 13 people, injured dozens more and led to a partial collapse of the factory. In response labour organisations called for inclusion of boiler inspections into the Accord, which were one of the main safety issues still under the purview of the government of Bangladesh. The Accord started a boiler inspection pilot in 2018 and the Accord stakeholders eventually agreed to include boiler inspections under the Accord’s purview. Still however the implementation of the boiler programme remains problematically slow. This incident also once more showed the urgent need for an employment injury insurance scheme for all garment workers.
- 2018
- 01 April
Public call for Employment Injury Insurance
Despite earlier promising developments towards the establishment of a permanent Employment Injury Insurance scheme on the basis of the many ad hoc schemes set up in years before, developments had ground to a halt by 2017-2018. The same brands that had insisted that payments into the Rana Plaza trust fund could only be done if it would be the start of a permanent solution now kept silent, and the employer’s organisations intensified their lobbying against the scheme. Clean Clothes Campaign decided to start publicly making the case for Employment Injury Insurance, arguing that it would only cost 0.3% of the wage sum – a ridiculously small amount considering that wages only make up a total of 1-2% of the store price of a garment and that the system could build on earlier ad hoc compensation systems.
- 2018
- 01 June
The first Accord ended, a new Accord started
By the time the five year mandate of the first Bangladesh Accord ended, a lot had been achieved. Over 1600 factories had been inspected and 84% of the safety hazards found upon first inspection had been fixed. The Accord had trained 2.2 million workers on how to identify safety hazards, utilise the Accord’s complaint mechanism, and safely evacuate the factory in case of a fire. At the same time, factory owners had not yet completed some of the most costly repairs and renovations. When the new Accord started in June 2018, some brands refused to sign the new agreement, prioritising profits over safety. Brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John did not join again. Nevertheless, over 190 brands would stay loyal to the Accord, or joined the programme for the first time because of its expanded mandate that now also included home textiles.
- 2018
- 10 September
Wage struggle for 16,000 BDT
Bangladeshi Labour Law foresees a minimum wage review every five years – inadequate in the face of poverty wages and continuous inflation. In 2018, Bangladesh’s garment unions presented a shared demand of a minimum wage increase to 16,000 BDT, more than tripling the existing wage of 5,300 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign called on brands to publicly support this demand. When in September 2018, the Wage Board (without real worker representation) ordered the new minimum wage to be 8,000 BDT, workers and their unions protested strongly.
- 2018
- 30 November
The continuation of the Accord under threat
Not everyone in Bangladesh was happy that the Accord programme was continuing. Government concerns that the Accord would permanently replace national inspectorates were addressed already in 2017 through an agreement about capacity building and transitioning the work to national authorities. In April 2018 factory owners and the government used a court case by a disgruntled factory owner, who was barred from doing business for Accord signatories following falsification of engineer reports, to expel the Accord from Bangladesh as per 30 November 2018. The proceedings dragged on for months after that date during which witness signatories showed that the Accord’s work was direly needed until governmental agencies would be ready to take over the work.
- 2019
- 08 January
Wage protests and crackdown
In December 2018 the new minimum wage of 8,000 BDT came into force. Workers didn’t accept the minimal increase, which was even smaller at higher pay grades. Workers walked out of the factories and started protesting. Factory owners and the government responded with violence and repression. On 8 January 2019, the police dispersed about 10,000 garment workers using water cannons, tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, killing one worker and wounding over 50. On 13 January, after a small wage increase for workers in higher pay grades, workers were urged to return to their factories. Thousands of workers were fired and many were blacklisted by factory owners, who posted workers’ names and photos outside of factory gates. At least 33 trumped-up criminal cases were filed by factory groups and industrial police, against hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed garment workers, which have kept looming over people’s heads for years.
- 2019
- 29 April
Brands refusing to participate in Accord join Nirapon
21 companies which had chosen the corporate-led Alliance over the Accord and which saw their safety credentials at risk after the conclusion of the Alliance in 2018, launched the platform Nirapon. Nirapon describes itself as a “self-regulating” entity for safety in Bangladesh – this amounts to the same kind of failed voluntary model under which hundreds of garment workers died prior to the Accord’s formation. According to its website, Nirapon will not publicly identify factories that do not meet the standards and will have no authority to require remediation in factories where imminent life-threatening conditions have been identified or to suspend factories that fail to remediate those safety hazards. Nirapon claims that factory assessments will be carried out by a list of “qualified assessment firms,” but the list of such firms is kept confidential and there is no mechanism to ensure that these firms are equipped to carry out in-depth fire, building and electrical safety inspections. Nirapon’s website acknowledges that it will not work with factories to drive remediation and offers no clear mechanism through which safety violations will be addressed. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh came to similar conclusions in its 2021 report.
- 2019
- 19 May
Memorandum of Understanding on the future of the Accord
In May 2019, Global Unions and brands representing the Accord reached an agreement with the factory owners’ association in Bangladesh agreeing that in 2020 the Accord work on the ground would be taken over by a new entity, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC). The witness signatories raised strong concerns that in this body workers’ interest would be outnumbered by corporate votes.
- 2019
- 10 June
ILO Convention against violence and harassment at work
After years of civil society campaigning around the world, the ILO adopted a convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (Convention 190), which has been ratified by 26 countries in the years since. Bangladesh has not done so, even though gender-based violence and harassment are a significant problem in Bangladeshi garment factories. Currently, workers in Accord covered factories can raise issues of violence and harassment in the workplace to its complaint mechanism, but workers elsewhere remain without access to remedy.
- 2019
- 08 August
Supreme Court of Canada denies Rana Plaza families access to justice
Six years after the Rana Plaza collapse, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a survivors and families affected by the Rana Plaza collapse who had come together to sue Canadian company Loblaw (Joe Fresh) for compensation. The Supreme Court agreed with lower Canadian courts that they had no jurisdiction to consider the claim and that Bangladesh’s law applied. They denied the plaintiffs’ argument that Loblaws was responsible for worker safety and knew that workplaces in Bangladesh were dangerous, saying that Loblaws was not directly responsible and did not have duty of care towards the garment workers. This outcome once more shows the need for development of human rights due diligence legislation that holds companies accountable for their supply chains. Recognition of workers’ rights to compensation for pain and suffering should be part of such legislation.
- 2020
- 11 March
Wages unpaid during the pandemic
In the period between March 2020 and March 2021 workers in Bangladesh were robbed of an estimated 845 million USD in wages and severance. At least 438,000 workers lost their jobs. Many workers could not afford to provide three meals per day for themselves and their dependents any more.
- 2020
- 01 June
Start of the RMG Sustainability Council
As agreed in May 2019, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) took over the work on the ground from the Accord’s Bangladesh liaison office. Concerns about worker representatives being outnumbered by companies within the RSC’s governance remained. Because of the pandemic, brands and unions postponed the start of negotiations about a new Accord. This meant that the RSC started without clarity about what binding programme would hold brands accountable for the work the RSC was monitoring beyond May 2021. Union representatives in the RSC stressed the importance of such a binding agreement for the success of the safety work, as the RSC itself has no means to hold brands accountable. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in April 2023 released a monitoring report about the work of the RSC.
- 2021
- 31 May
Negotiations and campaigning for a new Accord
Negotiations between unions and brands started late because of the pandemic. Soon it became apparent that, under the guise of the same pandemic and the developments in Bangladesh, some brands believed they could weaken the Accord. As the end date of the Accord approached and no agreement had yet been reached, the negotiating brands and unions decided to let the Accord continue work under very uncertain circumstances for three more months. Unions stressed that they would leave the RSC if brands did not sign a new Accord agreement. The Clean Clothes Campaign network campaigned hard, urging brands to #ProtectProgress and emphasising that only a similarly strong binding agreement could keep workers in Bangladesh (and preferably also in other countries) safe.
- 2021
- 06 August
Increased unon busting during the pandemic
As everywhere around the world, union busting and repression of the right to organise was on the rise during the pandemic. In August and September 2021, for example, criminal charges were filed by the Industrial Police against 25 union leaders and unions were forced to cancel meetings after police officers called union leaders urging them not to hold meetings. Overall, this intimidation and repression had a chilling effect on Bangladeshi unions’ ability to organise.
- 2021
- 01 September
Start of the International Accord
After many months of negotiations and campaigning, in late August 2021 unions and brands announced the creation of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. By 1 September, 77 brands indicated their commitment, with over a dozen more joining on the day itself. Since then the signatory list has grown to over 190 brands. The programme contains the same 50/50 governance structure between unions and brands and maintains the same level of enforceability. The major difference with the previous programme is the international element. While the International Accord’s Bangladesh country programme was carried out by the RSC, the new 26-month agreement opens up the opportunity for the creation of additional country programmes, with the explicit commitment to expand to at least one country before the end of the programme’s term in October 2023. After extensive feasibility studies, consultations, and research and campaigning by Pakistani unions and the Clean Clothes Campaign network, on 14 December 2022 the Pakistan Accord was announced as the first additional country programme, which the witness signatories applauded.
- 2022
- 10 June
ILO International Labour Conference adds safety and health to Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
At the ILO International Labour Conference, Member States agreed to add the principles of a safe and healthy working environment to the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (also known as the ILO fundamental Conventions) which previously consisted of four categories: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. The fifth category has now become Occupational Safety and Health. The new fundamental Conventions will be the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155), and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) .
- 2022
- 21 June
Launch of the Employment Injury Insurance Scheme pilot
A pilot project in Bangladesh to ensure that garment workers receive compensation when they are injured on the job and that families are compensated financially in case of a death in the workplace was finally launched officially. Seven brands signed pledges to commit financial contributions: Bestseller (Vero Moda), Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), H&M, KiK, Primark and Tchibo. It is of utmost importance that this pilot will lead to an ongoing programme, enshrined in Bangladeshi law and with more brand contributions. Above all, there should be a bridging solution to provide compensation for families that suffered death or injury since 2013.ilo.org/…ts/bangladesh/lang–en/index.htm
- 2023
- 05 February
Wage struggle 2023
Five years after the last minimum wage increase, workers are calling on the government to form a Wage Board with real worker representation and increase the minimum wage to between 22,000-25,000 THB. This is a moderate request considering that Asia Floor Wage calculations for 2022 put a Bangladeshi living wage at 53,104 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign calls upon garment brands to communicate to their suppliers that they will meet a minimum wage increase with increase prices paid for their products. Also in 2023, garment workers will have to continue to struggle for their rights, with repression as always looming over their heads.
February 5, 2023
Five years after the last minimum wage increase, workers are calling on the government to form a Wage Board with real worker representation and increase the minimum wage to between 22,000-25,000 THB. This is a moderate request considering that Asia Floor Wage calculations for 2022 put a Bangladeshi living wage at 53,104 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign calls upon garment brands to communicate to their suppliers that they will meet a minimum wage increase with increase prices paid for their products. Also in 2023, garment workers will have to continue to struggle for their rights, with repression as always looming over their heads.
Wage struggle 2023
Five years after the last minimum wage increase, workers are calling on the government to form a Wage Board with real worker representation and increase the minimum wage to between 22,000-25,000 THB. This is a moderate request considering that Asia Floor Wage calculations for 2022 put a Bangladeshi living wage at 53,104 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign calls upon garment brands to communicate to their suppliers that they will meet a minimum wage increase with increase prices paid for their products. Also in 2023, garment workers will have to continue to struggle for their rights, with repression as always looming over their heads.
June 21, 2022
A pilot project in Bangladesh to ensure that garment workers receive compensation when they are injured on the job and that families are compensated financially in case of a death in the workplace was finally launched officially. Seven brands signed pledges to commit financial contributions: Bestseller (Vero Moda), Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), H&M, KiK, Primark and Tchibo. It is of utmost importance that this pilot will lead to an ongoing programme, enshrined in Bangladeshi law and with more brand contributions. Above all, there should be a bridging solution to provide compensation for families that suffered death or injury since 2013.ilo.org/…ts/bangladesh/lang–en/index.htm
Launch of the Employment Injury Insurance Scheme pilot
A pilot project in Bangladesh to ensure that garment workers receive compensation when they are injured on the job and that families are compensated financially in case of a death in the workplace was finally launched officially. Seven brands signed pledges to commit financial contributions: Bestseller (Vero Moda), Fast Retailing (Uniqlo), H&M, KiK, Primark and Tchibo. It is of utmost importance that this pilot will lead to an ongoing programme, enshrined in Bangladeshi law and with more brand contributions. Above all, there should be a bridging solution to provide compensation for families that suffered death or injury since 2013.ilo.org/…ts/bangladesh/lang–en/index.htm
June 10, 2022
At the ILO International Labour Conference, Member States agreed to add the principles of a safe and healthy working environment to the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (also known as the ILO fundamental Conventions) which previously consisted of four categories: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. The fifth category has now become Occupational Safety and Health. The new fundamental Conventions will be the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155), and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) .
ILO International Labour Conference adds safety and health to Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work
At the ILO International Labour Conference, Member States agreed to add the principles of a safe and healthy working environment to the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (also known as the ILO fundamental Conventions) which previously consisted of four categories: freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; the elimination of all forms of forced or compulsory labour; the effective abolition of child labour; and the elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation. The fifth category has now become Occupational Safety and Health. The new fundamental Conventions will be the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981 (No.155), and the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No. 187) .
September 1, 2021
After many months of negotiations and campaigning, in late August 2021 unions and brands announced the creation of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. By 1 September, 77 brands indicated their commitment, with over a dozen more joining on the day itself. Since then the signatory list has grown to over 190 brands. The programme contains the same 50/50 governance structure between unions and brands and maintains the same level of enforceability. The major difference with the previous programme is the international element. While the International Accord’s Bangladesh country programme was carried out by the RSC, the new 26-month agreement opens up the opportunity for the creation of additional country programmes, with the explicit commitment to expand to at least one country before the end of the programme’s term in October 2023. After extensive feasibility studies, consultations, and research and campaigning by Pakistani unions and the Clean Clothes Campaign network, on 14 December 2022 the Pakistan Accord was announced as the first additional country programme, which the witness signatories applauded.
Start of the International Accord
After many months of negotiations and campaigning, in late August 2021 unions and brands announced the creation of the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry. By 1 September, 77 brands indicated their commitment, with over a dozen more joining on the day itself. Since then the signatory list has grown to over 190 brands. The programme contains the same 50/50 governance structure between unions and brands and maintains the same level of enforceability. The major difference with the previous programme is the international element. While the International Accord’s Bangladesh country programme was carried out by the RSC, the new 26-month agreement opens up the opportunity for the creation of additional country programmes, with the explicit commitment to expand to at least one country before the end of the programme’s term in October 2023. After extensive feasibility studies, consultations, and research and campaigning by Pakistani unions and the Clean Clothes Campaign network, on 14 December 2022 the Pakistan Accord was announced as the first additional country programme, which the witness signatories applauded.
August 6, 2021
As everywhere around the world, union busting and repression of the right to organise was on the rise during the pandemic. In August and September 2021, for example, criminal charges were filed by the Industrial Police against 25 union leaders and unions were forced to cancel meetings after police officers called union leaders urging them not to hold meetings. Overall, this intimidation and repression had a chilling effect on Bangladeshi unions’ ability to organise.
Increased unon busting during the pandemic
As everywhere around the world, union busting and repression of the right to organise was on the rise during the pandemic. In August and September 2021, for example, criminal charges were filed by the Industrial Police against 25 union leaders and unions were forced to cancel meetings after police officers called union leaders urging them not to hold meetings. Overall, this intimidation and repression had a chilling effect on Bangladeshi unions’ ability to organise.
May 31, 2021
Negotiations between unions and brands started late because of the pandemic. Soon it became apparent that, under the guise of the same pandemic and the developments in Bangladesh, some brands believed they could weaken the Accord. As the end date of the Accord approached and no agreement had yet been reached, the negotiating brands and unions decided to let the Accord continue work under very uncertain circumstances for three more months. Unions stressed that they would leave the RSC if brands did not sign a new Accord agreement. The Clean Clothes Campaign network campaigned hard, urging brands to #ProtectProgress and emphasising that only a similarly strong binding agreement could keep workers in Bangladesh (and preferably also in other countries) safe.
Negotiations and campaigning for a new Accord
Negotiations between unions and brands started late because of the pandemic. Soon it became apparent that, under the guise of the same pandemic and the developments in Bangladesh, some brands believed they could weaken the Accord. As the end date of the Accord approached and no agreement had yet been reached, the negotiating brands and unions decided to let the Accord continue work under very uncertain circumstances for three more months. Unions stressed that they would leave the RSC if brands did not sign a new Accord agreement. The Clean Clothes Campaign network campaigned hard, urging brands to #ProtectProgress and emphasising that only a similarly strong binding agreement could keep workers in Bangladesh (and preferably also in other countries) safe.
June 1, 2020
As agreed in May 2019, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) took over the work on the ground from the Accord’s Bangladesh liaison office. Concerns about worker representatives being outnumbered by companies within the RSC’s governance remained. Because of the pandemic, brands and unions postponed the start of negotiations about a new Accord. This meant that the RSC started without clarity about what binding programme would hold brands accountable for the work the RSC was monitoring beyond May 2021. Union representatives in the RSC stressed the importance of such a binding agreement for the success of the safety work, as the RSC itself has no means to hold brands accountable. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in April 2023 released a monitoring report about the work of the RSC.
Start of the RMG Sustainability Council
As agreed in May 2019, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) took over the work on the ground from the Accord’s Bangladesh liaison office. Concerns about worker representatives being outnumbered by companies within the RSC’s governance remained. Because of the pandemic, brands and unions postponed the start of negotiations about a new Accord. This meant that the RSC started without clarity about what binding programme would hold brands accountable for the work the RSC was monitoring beyond May 2021. Union representatives in the RSC stressed the importance of such a binding agreement for the success of the safety work, as the RSC itself has no means to hold brands accountable. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in April 2023 released a monitoring report about the work of the RSC.
March 11, 2020
In the period between March 2020 and March 2021 workers in Bangladesh were robbed of an estimated 845 million USD in wages and severance. At least 438,000 workers lost their jobs. Many workers could not afford to provide three meals per day for themselves and their dependents any more.
Wages unpaid during the pandemic
In the period between March 2020 and March 2021 workers in Bangladesh were robbed of an estimated 845 million USD in wages and severance. At least 438,000 workers lost their jobs. Many workers could not afford to provide three meals per day for themselves and their dependents any more.
August 8, 2019
Six years after the Rana Plaza collapse, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a survivors and families affected by the Rana Plaza collapse who had come together to sue Canadian company Loblaw (Joe Fresh) for compensation. The Supreme Court agreed with lower Canadian courts that they had no jurisdiction to consider the claim and that Bangladesh’s law applied. They denied the plaintiffs’ argument that Loblaws was responsible for worker safety and knew that workplaces in Bangladesh were dangerous, saying that Loblaws was not directly responsible and did not have duty of care towards the garment workers. This outcome once more shows the need for development of human rights due diligence legislation that holds companies accountable for their supply chains. Recognition of workers’ rights to compensation for pain and suffering should be part of such legislation.
Supreme Court of Canada denies Rana Plaza families access to justice
Six years after the Rana Plaza collapse, the Supreme Court of Canada refused to hear a survivors and families affected by the Rana Plaza collapse who had come together to sue Canadian company Loblaw (Joe Fresh) for compensation. The Supreme Court agreed with lower Canadian courts that they had no jurisdiction to consider the claim and that Bangladesh’s law applied. They denied the plaintiffs’ argument that Loblaws was responsible for worker safety and knew that workplaces in Bangladesh were dangerous, saying that Loblaws was not directly responsible and did not have duty of care towards the garment workers. This outcome once more shows the need for development of human rights due diligence legislation that holds companies accountable for their supply chains. Recognition of workers’ rights to compensation for pain and suffering should be part of such legislation.
June 10, 2019
After years of civil society campaigning around the world, the ILO adopted a convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (Convention 190), which has been ratified by 26 countries in the years since. Bangladesh has not done so, even though gender-based violence and harassment are a significant problem in Bangladeshi garment factories. Currently, workers in Accord covered factories can raise issues of violence and harassment in the workplace to its complaint mechanism, but workers elsewhere remain without access to remedy.
ILO Convention against violence and harassment at work
After years of civil society campaigning around the world, the ILO adopted a convention concerning the elimination of violence and harassment in the world of work (Convention 190), which has been ratified by 26 countries in the years since. Bangladesh has not done so, even though gender-based violence and harassment are a significant problem in Bangladeshi garment factories. Currently, workers in Accord covered factories can raise issues of violence and harassment in the workplace to its complaint mechanism, but workers elsewhere remain without access to remedy.
May 19, 2019
In May 2019, Global Unions and brands representing the Accord reached an agreement with the factory owners’ association in Bangladesh agreeing that in 2020 the Accord work on the ground would be taken over by a new entity, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC). The witness signatories raised strong concerns that in this body workers’ interest would be outnumbered by corporate votes.
Memorandum of Understanding on the future of the Accord
In May 2019, Global Unions and brands representing the Accord reached an agreement with the factory owners’ association in Bangladesh agreeing that in 2020 the Accord work on the ground would be taken over by a new entity, the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC). The witness signatories raised strong concerns that in this body workers’ interest would be outnumbered by corporate votes.
April 29, 2019
21 companies which had chosen the corporate-led Alliance over the Accord and which saw their safety credentials at risk after the conclusion of the Alliance in 2018, launched the platform Nirapon. Nirapon describes itself as a “self-regulating” entity for safety in Bangladesh – this amounts to the same kind of failed voluntary model under which hundreds of garment workers died prior to the Accord’s formation. According to its website, Nirapon will not publicly identify factories that do not meet the standards and will have no authority to require remediation in factories where imminent life-threatening conditions have been identified or to suspend factories that fail to remediate those safety hazards. Nirapon claims that factory assessments will be carried out by a list of “qualified assessment firms,” but the list of such firms is kept confidential and there is no mechanism to ensure that these firms are equipped to carry out in-depth fire, building and electrical safety inspections. Nirapon’s website acknowledges that it will not work with factories to drive remediation and offers no clear mechanism through which safety violations will be addressed. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh came to similar conclusions in its 2021 report.
Brands refusing to participate in Accord join Nirapon
21 companies which had chosen the corporate-led Alliance over the Accord and which saw their safety credentials at risk after the conclusion of the Alliance in 2018, launched the platform Nirapon. Nirapon describes itself as a “self-regulating” entity for safety in Bangladesh – this amounts to the same kind of failed voluntary model under which hundreds of garment workers died prior to the Accord’s formation. According to its website, Nirapon will not publicly identify factories that do not meet the standards and will have no authority to require remediation in factories where imminent life-threatening conditions have been identified or to suspend factories that fail to remediate those safety hazards. Nirapon claims that factory assessments will be carried out by a list of “qualified assessment firms,” but the list of such firms is kept confidential and there is no mechanism to ensure that these firms are equipped to carry out in-depth fire, building and electrical safety inspections. Nirapon’s website acknowledges that it will not work with factories to drive remediation and offers no clear mechanism through which safety violations will be addressed. The Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh came to similar conclusions in its 2021 report.
January 8, 2019
In December 2018 the new minimum wage of 8,000 BDT came into force. Workers didn’t accept the minimal increase, which was even smaller at higher pay grades. Workers walked out of the factories and started protesting. Factory owners and the government responded with violence and repression. On 8 January 2019, the police dispersed about 10,000 garment workers using water cannons, tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, killing one worker and wounding over 50. On 13 January, after a small wage increase for workers in higher pay grades, workers were urged to return to their factories. Thousands of workers were fired and many were blacklisted by factory owners, who posted workers’ names and photos outside of factory gates. At least 33 trumped-up criminal cases were filed by factory groups and industrial police, against hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed garment workers, which have kept looming over people’s heads for years.
Wage protests and crackdown
In December 2018 the new minimum wage of 8,000 BDT came into force. Workers didn’t accept the minimal increase, which was even smaller at higher pay grades. Workers walked out of the factories and started protesting. Factory owners and the government responded with violence and repression. On 8 January 2019, the police dispersed about 10,000 garment workers using water cannons, tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, killing one worker and wounding over 50. On 13 January, after a small wage increase for workers in higher pay grades, workers were urged to return to their factories. Thousands of workers were fired and many were blacklisted by factory owners, who posted workers’ names and photos outside of factory gates. At least 33 trumped-up criminal cases were filed by factory groups and industrial police, against hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed garment workers, which have kept looming over people’s heads for years.
January 8, 2019
In December 2018 the new minimum wage of 8,000 BDT came into force. Workers didn’t accept the minimal increase, which was even smaller at higher pay grades. Workers walked out of the factories and started protesting. Factory owners and the government responded with violence and repression. On 8 January 2019, the police dispersed about 10,000 garment workers using water cannons, tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, killing one worker and wounding over 50. On 13 January, after a small wage increase for workers in higher pay grades, workers were urged to return to their factories. Thousands of workers were fired and many were blacklisted by factory owners, who posted workers’ names and photos outside of factory gates. At least 33 trumped-up criminal cases were filed by factory groups and industrial police, against hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed garment workers, which have kept looming over people’s heads for years.
Wage protests and crackdown
In December 2018 the new minimum wage of 8,000 BDT came into force. Workers didn’t accept the minimal increase, which was even smaller at higher pay grades. Workers walked out of the factories and started protesting. Factory owners and the government responded with violence and repression. On 8 January 2019, the police dispersed about 10,000 garment workers using water cannons, tear gas, batons, and rubber bullets, killing one worker and wounding over 50. On 13 January, after a small wage increase for workers in higher pay grades, workers were urged to return to their factories. Thousands of workers were fired and many were blacklisted by factory owners, who posted workers’ names and photos outside of factory gates. At least 33 trumped-up criminal cases were filed by factory groups and industrial police, against hundreds of named and thousands of unnamed garment workers, which have kept looming over people’s heads for years.
November 30, 2018
Not everyone in Bangladesh was happy that the Accord programme was continuing. Government concerns that the Accord would permanently replace national inspectorates were addressed already in 2017 through an agreement about capacity building and transitioning the work to national authorities. In April 2018 factory owners and the government used a court case by a disgruntled factory owner, who was barred from doing business for Accord signatories following falsification of engineer reports, to expel the Accord from Bangladesh as per 30 November 2018. The proceedings dragged on for months after that date during which witness signatories showed that the Accord’s work was direly needed until governmental agencies would be ready to take over the work.
The continuation of the Accord under threat
Not everyone in Bangladesh was happy that the Accord programme was continuing. Government concerns that the Accord would permanently replace national inspectorates were addressed already in 2017 through an agreement about capacity building and transitioning the work to national authorities. In April 2018 factory owners and the government used a court case by a disgruntled factory owner, who was barred from doing business for Accord signatories following falsification of engineer reports, to expel the Accord from Bangladesh as per 30 November 2018. The proceedings dragged on for months after that date during which witness signatories showed that the Accord’s work was direly needed until governmental agencies would be ready to take over the work.
September 10, 2018
Bangladeshi Labour Law foresees a minimum wage review every five years – inadequate in the face of poverty wages and continuous inflation. In 2018, Bangladesh’s garment unions presented a shared demand of a minimum wage increase to 16,000 BDT, more than tripling the existing wage of 5,300 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign called on brands to publicly support this demand. When in September 2018, the Wage Board (without real worker representation) ordered the new minimum wage to be 8,000 BDT, workers and their unions protested strongly.
Wage struggle for 16,000 BDT
Bangladeshi Labour Law foresees a minimum wage review every five years – inadequate in the face of poverty wages and continuous inflation. In 2018, Bangladesh’s garment unions presented a shared demand of a minimum wage increase to 16,000 BDT, more than tripling the existing wage of 5,300 BDT. Clean Clothes Campaign called on brands to publicly support this demand. When in September 2018, the Wage Board (without real worker representation) ordered the new minimum wage to be 8,000 BDT, workers and their unions protested strongly.
June 1, 2018
By the time the five year mandate of the first Bangladesh Accord ended, a lot had been achieved. Over 1600 factories had been inspected and 84% of the safety hazards found upon first inspection had been fixed. The Accord had trained 2.2 million workers on how to identify safety hazards, utilise the Accord’s complaint mechanism, and safely evacuate the factory in case of a fire. At the same time, factory owners had not yet completed some of the most costly repairs and renovations. When the new Accord started in June 2018, some brands refused to sign the new agreement, prioritising profits over safety. Brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John did not join again. Nevertheless, over 190 brands would stay loyal to the Accord, or joined the programme for the first time because of its expanded mandate that now also included home textiles.
The first Accord ended, a new Accord started
By the time the five year mandate of the first Bangladesh Accord ended, a lot had been achieved. Over 1600 factories had been inspected and 84% of the safety hazards found upon first inspection had been fixed. The Accord had trained 2.2 million workers on how to identify safety hazards, utilise the Accord’s complaint mechanism, and safely evacuate the factory in case of a fire. At the same time, factory owners had not yet completed some of the most costly repairs and renovations. When the new Accord started in June 2018, some brands refused to sign the new agreement, prioritising profits over safety. Brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John did not join again. Nevertheless, over 190 brands would stay loyal to the Accord, or joined the programme for the first time because of its expanded mandate that now also included home textiles.
April 1, 2018
Despite earlier promising developments towards the establishment of a permanent Employment Injury Insurance scheme on the basis of the many ad hoc schemes set up in years before, developments had ground to a halt by 2017-2018. The same brands that had insisted that payments into the Rana Plaza trust fund could only be done if it would be the start of a permanent solution now kept silent, and the employer’s organisations intensified their lobbying against the scheme. Clean Clothes Campaign decided to start publicly making the case for Employment Injury Insurance, arguing that it would only cost 0.3% of the wage sum – a ridiculously small amount considering that wages only make up a total of 1-2% of the store price of a garment and that the system could build on earlier ad hoc compensation systems.
Public call for Employment Injury Insurance
Despite earlier promising developments towards the establishment of a permanent Employment Injury Insurance scheme on the basis of the many ad hoc schemes set up in years before, developments had ground to a halt by 2017-2018. The same brands that had insisted that payments into the Rana Plaza trust fund could only be done if it would be the start of a permanent solution now kept silent, and the employer’s organisations intensified their lobbying against the scheme. Clean Clothes Campaign decided to start publicly making the case for Employment Injury Insurance, arguing that it would only cost 0.3% of the wage sum – a ridiculously small amount considering that wages only make up a total of 1-2% of the store price of a garment and that the system could build on earlier ad hoc compensation systems.
July 4, 2017
A boiler explosion at the Multifabs Ltd. factory killed 13 people, injured dozens more and led to a partial collapse of the factory. In response labour organisations called for inclusion of boiler inspections into the Accord, which were one of the main safety issues still under the purview of the government of Bangladesh. The Accord started a boiler inspection pilot in 2018 and the Accord stakeholders eventually agreed to include boiler inspections under the Accord’s purview. Still however the implementation of the boiler programme remains problematically slow. This incident also once more showed the urgent need for an employment injury insurance scheme for all garment workers.
Multifabs explosion
A boiler explosion at the Multifabs Ltd. factory killed 13 people, injured dozens more and led to a partial collapse of the factory. In response labour organisations called for inclusion of boiler inspections into the Accord, which were one of the main safety issues still under the purview of the government of Bangladesh. The Accord started a boiler inspection pilot in 2018 and the Accord stakeholders eventually agreed to include boiler inspections under the Accord’s purview. Still however the implementation of the boiler programme remains problematically slow. This incident also once more showed the urgent need for an employment injury insurance scheme for all garment workers.
June 29, 2017
After four years of work under the Accord, it was clear to brands and unions that safety is an ongoing operation and that even the work to remediate all safety hazards found on first inspection was not entirely done yet even though the Accord was making progress. Therefore they negotiated and announced a new three year programme, due to run from June 2018 to June 2021. This new agreement contained an expanded training programme and offered the option for signatories to voluntarily add their home textiles and fabric and knit accessories suppliers to the Accord programme, which enabled companies that sell textiles, but not garments, to also sign up.
New Accord announced by unions and brands
After four years of work under the Accord, it was clear to brands and unions that safety is an ongoing operation and that even the work to remediate all safety hazards found on first inspection was not entirely done yet even though the Accord was making progress. Therefore they negotiated and announced a new three year programme, due to run from June 2018 to June 2021. This new agreement contained an expanded training programme and offered the option for signatories to voluntarily add their home textiles and fabric and knit accessories suppliers to the Accord programme, which enabled companies that sell textiles, but not garments, to also sign up.
April 6, 2017
In one example of the effectiveness of the interventions of the Accord, on 6 April 2017, the fact that workers could appeal to the Accord complaint mechanism prevented a likely factory collapse. Workers who noted cracks in the walls of their factory appealed to the Accord when the factory owner failed to act. The Accord ordered immediate evacuation of the building and ensured that workers only returned after completion of full remediation.
Accord prevents factory collapse
In one example of the effectiveness of the interventions of the Accord, on 6 April 2017, the fact that workers could appeal to the Accord complaint mechanism prevented a likely factory collapse. Workers who noted cracks in the walls of their factory appealed to the Accord when the factory owner failed to act. The Accord ordered immediate evacuation of the building and ensured that workers only returned after completion of full remediation.
December 21, 2016
In December 2016, workers walked out of their factories to call for a tripling of wages. In response, from 21 December onwards and well into February 2017, at least 1,500 workers were dismissed, 38 union leaders and workers were arrested based on unsubstantiated criminal complaints, and trade union and NGO offices were closed or subject to intense harassment and interference by government authorities. While the minimum wage remained 5,300 BDT per month, Asia Floor Wage estimated a living wage to be 37,661 BDT per month at this point.
Wage protest crackdown
In December 2016, workers walked out of their factories to call for a tripling of wages. In response, from 21 December onwards and well into February 2017, at least 1,500 workers were dismissed, 38 union leaders and workers were arrested based on unsubstantiated criminal complaints, and trade union and NGO offices were closed or subject to intense harassment and interference by government authorities. While the minimum wage remained 5,300 BDT per month, Asia Floor Wage estimated a living wage to be 37,661 BDT per month at this point.
December 21, 2016
In December 2016, workers walked out of their factories to call for a tripling of wages. In response, at least 1,500 workers were dismissed, 38 union leaders and workers were arrested based on unsubstantiated criminal complaints, and trade union and NGO offices were closed or subject to intense harassment and interference by government authorities. While the minimum wage remained 5,300 BDT per month, Asia Floor Wage estimated a living wage to be 37,661 BDT per month at this point.
Wage protest crackdown
In December 2016, workers walked out of their factories to call for a tripling of wages. In response, at least 1,500 workers were dismissed, 38 union leaders and workers were arrested based on unsubstantiated criminal complaints, and trade union and NGO offices were closed or subject to intense harassment and interference by government authorities. While the minimum wage remained 5,300 BDT per month, Asia Floor Wage estimated a living wage to be 37,661 BDT per month at this point.
September 1, 2016
Long-term physical and psychological treatment for workers injured in both factory incidents, was being provided by the Trust for Injured Workers’ Medical Care including Rana Plaza workers (the TIWMC), established in September 2016 and operational from February 2017. It is funded by payments from the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Trust Funds and provides direct treatment and free health care though other medical institutions to Trust beneficiaries.
Trust for Injured Workers’ Medical Care including Rana Plaza workers established
Long-term physical and psychological treatment for workers injured in both factory incidents, was being provided by the Trust for Injured Workers’ Medical Care including Rana Plaza workers (the TIWMC), established in September 2016 and operational from February 2017. It is funded by payments from the Rana Plaza and Tazreen Trust Funds and provides direct treatment and free health care though other medical institutions to Trust beneficiaries.
October 10, 2015
Taking their role as witness signatory seriously, the NGOs that signed the Accord as witnesses next to brands and unions continued to monitor the Accord’s work and whether brands were meeting their obligations under the Accord. In a range of public reports (1, 2, 3), they urged brands to make haste with the mandated life-saving repairs and renovations that were behind deadline and to ensure that factories had enough funds available to implement these corrective actions in a timely manner.
Witness signatories monitor brands’ progress under the Accord
Taking their role as witness signatory seriously, the NGOs that signed the Accord as witnesses next to brands and unions continued to monitor the Accord’s work and whether brands were meeting their obligations under the Accord. In a range of public reports (1, 2, 3), they urged brands to make haste with the mandated life-saving repairs and renovations that were behind deadline and to ensure that factories had enough funds available to implement these corrective actions in a timely manner.
October 6, 2015
The Government of Bangladesh, the ILO, and the Government of Germany signed a letter of intent to introduce an Employment Injury Insurance scheme and set up a three-year technical cooperation project. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on various occasions since them expressed her commitment to the establishment of an Employment Injury Insurance scheme, both in 2016 and 2017.
Letter of intent on Employment Injury Insurance
The Government of Bangladesh, the ILO, and the Government of Germany signed a letter of intent to introduce an Employment Injury Insurance scheme and set up a three-year technical cooperation project. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on various occasions since them expressed her commitment to the establishment of an Employment Injury Insurance scheme, both in 2016 and 2017.
June 1, 2015
After over two years of campaigning in June 2015 finally the 30 million USD needed to compensate the Rana Plaza families had come together. Between March 2014 and October 2015, the Rana Plaza Arrangement distributed these 30 million USD directly to the Rana Plaza families, with a further 1 million USD paid to cover ongoing medical costs.
30 million USD collected to fill Rana Plaza trust fund
After over two years of campaigning in June 2015 finally the 30 million USD needed to compensate the Rana Plaza families had come together. Between March 2014 and October 2015, the Rana Plaza Arrangement distributed these 30 million USD directly to the Rana Plaza families, with a further 1 million USD paid to cover ongoing medical costs.
November 24, 2014
Exactly six months before the Rana Plaza collapse a factory fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory killed at least 112 people. The compensation struggle was overshadowed by the enormity of the Rana Plaza tragedy, but two years after the fire an agreement was reached with C&A and other involved brands to compensate affected families. In 2016, al payments to the families were finalised.
Tazreen Trust Fund established
Exactly six months before the Rana Plaza collapse a factory fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory killed at least 112 people. The compensation struggle was overshadowed by the enormity of the Rana Plaza tragedy, but two years after the fire an agreement was reached with C&A and other involved brands to compensate affected families. In 2016, al payments to the families were finalised.
April 24, 2014
Despite the unprecented scale of the Rana Plaza disaster and brands’ verbal support for the agreement, many involved brands were neither swift nor generous with their compensation payments. One year after the collapse, brand engagement and campaigning had secured 15 million USD, primarily from brands whose clothes were made at Rana Plaza. This amount was still far removed from the amount needed to compensate all affected families. The campaign targeted several brands which sourced from the Rana Plaza factories and collected over 1 million signatures to convince hold out brands like Benetton to pay into the fund.
Rana Plaza compensation struggle
Despite the unprecented scale of the Rana Plaza disaster and brands’ verbal support for the agreement, many involved brands were neither swift nor generous with their compensation payments. One year after the collapse, brand engagement and campaigning had secured 15 million USD, primarily from brands whose clothes were made at Rana Plaza. This amount was still far removed from the amount needed to compensate all affected families. The campaign targeted several brands which sourced from the Rana Plaza factories and collected over 1 million signatures to convince hold out brands like Benetton to pay into the fund.
November 14, 2013
Workers demanding higher wages were met with violence on 25 September: more than 100 people were injured and dozens of factories shut their doors. In November the government agreed to a wage increase from 3,000 to 5,300 BDT per month, hardly keeping up with inflation. The Asia Floor Wage estimate for a living wage for a Bangladeshi family for 2013 amounted to 25,878 BDT per month.
The first wage increase since Rana Plaza
Workers demanding higher wages were met with violence on 25 September: more than 100 people were injured and dozens of factories shut their doors. In November the government agreed to a wage increase from 3,000 to 5,300 BDT per month, hardly keeping up with inflation. The Asia Floor Wage estimate for a living wage for a Bangladeshi family for 2013 amounted to 25,878 BDT per month.
September 1, 2013
In September, at a first meeting with representatives of Bangladesh and global trade unions, some of the brands and retailers linked to Rana Plaza factories, international and Bangladesh NGOs and representatives of the Bangladesh government, participants agreed to work towards a proposal for calculating loss of income payments, in line with International Labour Organisation Convention 121 on employment injury benefits. In December, the Rana Plaza Arrangement and the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee were created. The compensation under ILO Convention 121 is calculated on the basis of compensation for lost income and does not include compensation for pain and suffering. Combined with the very low wages in the garment industry that the calculations were based on and the lack of further social security in Bangladesh, most families would continue to face hardship.
Memorandum of Understanding on the Rana Plaza Arrangement reached
In September, at a first meeting with representatives of Bangladesh and global trade unions, some of the brands and retailers linked to Rana Plaza factories, international and Bangladesh NGOs and representatives of the Bangladesh government, participants agreed to work towards a proposal for calculating loss of income payments, in line with International Labour Organisation Convention 121 on employment injury benefits. In December, the Rana Plaza Arrangement and the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee were created. The compensation under ILO Convention 121 is calculated on the basis of compensation for lost income and does not include compensation for pain and suffering. Combined with the very low wages in the garment industry that the calculations were based on and the lack of further social security in Bangladesh, most families would continue to face hardship.
July 15, 2013
Amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 included several improvements to the right to freedom of association. Union leaders’ names for example no longer had to be sent to employers upon registration of a trade union. At the same time, major hurdles to organising remained in place, such as the obligation to have the agreement of 30% of a workplace’s employees before registering a union, as well as limitations to the right to strike. Despite continuing barriers, the registration of garment sector unions increased sharply in the first years after the collapse of Rana Plaza and labour law reform. In later years this development would stall, and it also turned out that a large amount of these unions, were so called “yellow” unions – meeting the interests of employers or the government.
Amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Law
Amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act 2006 included several improvements to the right to freedom of association. Union leaders’ names for example no longer had to be sent to employers upon registration of a trade union. At the same time, major hurdles to organising remained in place, such as the obligation to have the agreement of 30% of a workplace’s employees before registering a union, as well as limitations to the right to strike. Despite continuing barriers, the registration of garment sector unions increased sharply in the first years after the collapse of Rana Plaza and labour law reform. In later years this development would stall, and it also turned out that a large amount of these unions, were so called “yellow” unions – meeting the interests of employers or the government.
July 10, 2013
Gap and Walmart, two famous hold outs on the work towards a legally binding safety programme in Bangladesh, announced their own programme: the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. 15 other North American brands which failed to join the Accord became part of this initiative. The Accord’s witness signatories rejected this corporate driven scheme from the outset for its failure to include unions and lack of accountability. The witness signatories would continue to monitor the Alliance over the years and concluded that the programme lacked transparency and that many safety remediations were dangerously delayed, whereas others were too easily declared fulfilled. After 5, unconvincingly and contrary to the Accord, the Alliance declared its work “done.”
Walmart and Gap announce a rival scheme
Gap and Walmart, two famous hold outs on the work towards a legally binding safety programme in Bangladesh, announced their own programme: the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. 15 other North American brands which failed to join the Accord became part of this initiative. The Accord’s witness signatories rejected this corporate driven scheme from the outset for its failure to include unions and lack of accountability. The witness signatories would continue to monitor the Alliance over the years and concluded that the programme lacked transparency and that many safety remediations were dangerously delayed, whereas others were too easily declared fulfilled. After 5, unconvincingly and contrary to the Accord, the Alliance declared its work “done.”
May 15, 2013
Over 30 brands, including the previous signatories PVH and Tchibo and new major sign ons like H&M, Inditex, C&A, Primark, and Benetton, signed what was now called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This groundbreaking binding agreement, in which unions have 50% of the say and can hold brands legally accountable if they don’t live up to their promises, went into effect immediately. Eventually, over 220 brands would sign on to this initial 5-year programme which would be renewed in 2018, making more than 1600 factories in Bangladesh safer for over 2.5 million workers. Read more about the history of how the Accord came about.
First brands sign the Bangladesh Accord
Over 30 brands, including the previous signatories PVH and Tchibo and new major sign ons like H&M, Inditex, C&A, Primark, and Benetton, signed what was now called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This groundbreaking binding agreement, in which unions have 50% of the say and can hold brands legally accountable if they don’t live up to their promises, went into effect immediately. Eventually, over 220 brands would sign on to this initial 5-year programme which would be renewed in 2018, making more than 1600 factories in Bangladesh safer for over 2.5 million workers. Read more about the history of how the Accord came about.
May 1, 2013
Immediately after the collapse, campaigning that had been ongoing escalated further. Unions, like UNI Global Union and IndustriALL, and other organisations in and outside the Clean Clothes Campaign network protested at storefronts and collected over 1 million signatures urging brands like H&M and Gap to sign on to a legally binding safety agreement (in line with the earlier MoU) by 15 May: a date agreed by brands during a meeting about factory safety shortly after the collapse.
1 million signatures to make brands sign on to the binding safety agreement
Immediately after the collapse, campaigning that had been ongoing escalated further. Unions, like UNI Global Union and IndustriALL, and other organisations in and outside the Clean Clothes Campaign network protested at storefronts and collected over 1 million signatures urging brands like H&M and Gap to sign on to a legally binding safety agreement (in line with the earlier MoU) by 15 May: a date agreed by brands during a meeting about factory safety shortly after the collapse.
April 24, 2013
On 23 April 2013 large structural cracks were discovered in the Rana Plaza building. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed. But warnings to avoid using the building were ignored by the garment factory owners of 5 factories on the upper floors. Garment workers were ordered to return to work the following day. If there would have been unions in these factories which could have collectively voiced the right to refuse unsafe work, or if workers would not have been earning poverty wages, they might not have entered the factory under threat of losing one month of wages. Poverty wages, lack of freedom of association and in some cases actual violence meant workers felt forced to enter an unsafe building. The building collapsed just an hour later, killing 1,138 people. The incident could have been entirely avoidable.
Rana Plaza collapse
On 23 April 2013 large structural cracks were discovered in the Rana Plaza building. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed. But warnings to avoid using the building were ignored by the garment factory owners of 5 factories on the upper floors. Garment workers were ordered to return to work the following day. If there would have been unions in these factories which could have collectively voiced the right to refuse unsafe work, or if workers would not have been earning poverty wages, they might not have entered the factory under threat of losing one month of wages. Poverty wages, lack of freedom of association and in some cases actual violence meant workers felt forced to enter an unsafe building. The building collapsed just an hour later, killing 1,138 people. The incident could have been entirely avoidable.
November 24, 2012
A fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory, which supplied major brands including C&A, Dickies, Disney, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, El Corte Ingles, Enyce (Sean John), Karl Rieker, KiK, Piazza Italia, Sears/Kmart, Teddy Smith, Walmart, killed 112 workers and injured many more. Workers were trapped behind closed exits and barred windows. This horrific fire once more showed how brands’ lack of action in a demonstrably unsafe garment industry continued to cost workers’ lives.
Tazreen Fashions fire
A fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory, which supplied major brands including C&A, Dickies, Disney, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, El Corte Ingles, Enyce (Sean John), Karl Rieker, KiK, Piazza Italia, Sears/Kmart, Teddy Smith, Walmart, killed 112 workers and injured many more. Workers were trapped behind closed exits and barred windows. This horrific fire once more showed how brands’ lack of action in a demonstrably unsafe garment industry continued to cost workers’ lives.
April 4, 2012
Aminul Islam was a former garment worker and union activist of the Ashulia and Savar chapters of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and the Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity. He had been subjected to arrests and torture several times before in April 2012 his body was found outside Dhaka, bearing marks of torture. In 2018, one individual was found guilty for this crime. The verdict was based on scant evidence and against a man who disappeared immediately after the killing. It was rejected by Aminul’s colleagues and international supporters because of its failure to consider evidence of the links between the killing and Bangladesh security forces and failed to demand a more thorough investigation into the co-conspirators of the accused.
Murder of Aminul Islam
Aminul Islam was a former garment worker and union activist of the Ashulia and Savar chapters of the Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation and the Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity. He had been subjected to arrests and torture several times before in April 2012 his body was found outside Dhaka, bearing marks of torture. In 2018, one individual was found guilty for this crime. The verdict was based on scant evidence and against a man who disappeared immediately after the killing. It was rejected by Aminul’s colleagues and international supporters because of its failure to consider evidence of the links between the killing and Bangladesh security forces and failed to demand a more thorough investigation into the co-conspirators of the accused.
March 21, 2012
In the wake a continuous string of factory incidents, labour rights activists developed a proposal for a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brands would be able to sign with unions to commit to an enforceable safety programme for their factories in Bangladesh with independent building inspections, worker rights training, public disclosure and a long-overdue review of safety standards. The first company to sign it was PVH, owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. On 14 September 2012, German brand Tchibo was the second retailer to sign the MoU. Read more about the developments that led to this ground-breaking MoU.
PVH first brand to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on factory safety in Bangladesh
In the wake a continuous string of factory incidents, labour rights activists developed a proposal for a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brands would be able to sign with unions to commit to an enforceable safety programme for their factories in Bangladesh with independent building inspections, worker rights training, public disclosure and a long-overdue review of safety standards. The first company to sign it was PVH, owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. On 14 September 2012, German brand Tchibo was the second retailer to sign the MoU. Read more about the developments that led to this ground-breaking MoU.
December 14, 2011
By the one year anniversary of the That’s It Sportswear fire in which 29 workers died most brands connected to the factory had contributed to compensation for the killed workers, but they failed to take action to compensate injured workers.
That’s it Sportswear compensation close to completion
By the one year anniversary of the That’s It Sportswear fire in which 29 workers died most brands connected to the factory had contributed to compensation for the killed workers, but they failed to take action to compensate injured workers.
April 1, 2011
On the 6th anniversary of the Spectrum collapse of 2005, the affected workers and families received the last tranche of their compensation payments. The Spectrum compensation scheme was agreed between Inditex (Zara) and the global trade union federation covering garment workers and was the first ever brand-union compensation scheme. Inditex did not disclose the number of workers and families compensated as well as the amounts paid. In April 2011 a multi-stakeholder meeting on factory safety in Dhaka also brought together representatives of factory owners, trade unions, buyers, and officials from the Fire Safety Department and the Building and Factories Departments. Participants discussed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would establish a programme of work aimed to prevent future tragedies.
Spectrum relief completed
On the 6th anniversary of the Spectrum collapse of 2005, the affected workers and families received the last tranche of their compensation payments. The Spectrum compensation scheme was agreed between Inditex (Zara) and the global trade union federation covering garment workers and was the first ever brand-union compensation scheme. Inditex did not disclose the number of workers and families compensated as well as the amounts paid. In April 2011 a multi-stakeholder meeting on factory safety in Dhaka also brought together representatives of factory owners, trade unions, buyers, and officials from the Fire Safety Department and the Building and Factories Departments. Participants discussed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that would establish a programme of work aimed to prevent future tragedies.
August 13, 2010
In June 2010 garment workers in Ashulia (Dhaka) took to the streets to protest their low wages. These protests built upon decades of ever returning protest waves against the poverty wages that characterised the garment sector in Bangladesh. In response to these specific protests, the government started a crackdown on labour activists and organisations, including the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. On 13 August, in the middle of the night, its founders Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter were arrested on trumped up charges. They would only be released on bail after spending a month in jail, after significant international pressure.
Wage protests and labour leader arrests
In June 2010 garment workers in Ashulia (Dhaka) took to the streets to protest their low wages. These protests built upon decades of ever returning protest waves against the poverty wages that characterised the garment sector in Bangladesh. In response to these specific protests, the government started a crackdown on labour activists and organisations, including the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. On 13 August, in the middle of the night, its founders Kalpona Akter and Babul Akhter were arrested on trumped up charges. They would only be released on bail after spending a month in jail, after significant international pressure.
February 25, 2010
A fire at H&M, Teddy and LC Waikiki supplier Garib & Garib Sweater Factory in Dhaka in February 2010 cost the lives of 21 workers. In the wake of the fire, international labour rights organisations developed Health and Safety Action Points for Buyers, released in April, on the 5th anniversary of the Spectrum Factory collapse. The presentation of the Action Points was followed by a proposal to organise a meeting of government, buyers, industry and trade unions. This meeting finally took place in December 2010 but yielded no real results. Shortly afterwards a new fire, in the That’s it Sportswear/Hameem factory, which supplied to Gap, PVH Target and others, killed 29 workers.
Garib & Garib fire and the development of a safety standards proposal for Bangladesh
A fire at H&M, Teddy and LC Waikiki supplier Garib & Garib Sweater Factory in Dhaka in February 2010 cost the lives of 21 workers. In the wake of the fire, international labour rights organisations developed Health and Safety Action Points for Buyers, released in April, on the 5th anniversary of the Spectrum Factory collapse. The presentation of the Action Points was followed by a proposal to organise a meeting of government, buyers, industry and trade unions. This meeting finally took place in December 2010 but yielded no real results. Shortly afterwards a new fire, in the That’s it Sportswear/Hameem factory, which supplied to Gap, PVH Target and others, killed 29 workers.
April 11, 2005
The Spectrum collapse on 11 April 2005, which killed 64 workers and injured 80, drew the world’s attention to the abysmal safety situation in Bangladesh’s garment factories. The collapse was certainly not the first major factory incident in the country, but the outrage this time led to an increase in corporate social audits focused on building safety and the setting up of a government task force to look into safety. From the outset labour groups raised concerns that this response was not systematic enough and that implementation was wanting. In 2006, after these measures were introduced, dozens more workers were killed in a number of safety incidents including 63 at KTS Textile Industries.
The Spectrum collapse
The Spectrum collapse on 11 April 2005, which killed 64 workers and injured 80, drew the world’s attention to the abysmal safety situation in Bangladesh’s garment factories. The collapse was certainly not the first major factory incident in the country, but the outrage this time led to an increase in corporate social audits focused on building safety and the setting up of a government task force to look into safety. From the outset labour groups raised concerns that this response was not systematic enough and that implementation was wanting. In 2006, after these measures were introduced, dozens more workers were killed in a number of safety incidents including 63 at KTS Textile Industries.
- 2005
- 11 April
The Spectrum collapse
The Spectrum collapse on 11 April 2005, which killed 64 workers and injured 80, drew the world’s attention to the abysmal safety situation in Bangladesh’s garment factories. The collapse was certainly not the first major factory incident in the country, but the outrage this time led to an increase in corporate social audits focused on building safety and the setting up of a government task force to look into safety. From the outset labour groups raised concerns that this response was not systematic enough and that implementation was wanting. In 2006, after these measures were introduced, dozens more workers were killed in a number of safety incidents including 63 at KTS Textile Industries.
- 2010
- 25 February
Garib & Garib fire and the development of a safety standards proposal for Bangladesh
A fire at H&M, Teddy and LC Waikiki supplier Garib & Garib Sweater Factory in Dhaka in February 2010 cost the lives of 21 workers. In the wake of the fire, international labour rights organisations developed Health and Safety Action Points for Buyers, released in April, on the 5th anniversary of the Spectrum Factory collapse. The presentation of the Action Points was followed by a proposal to organise a meeting of government, buyers, industry and trade unions. This meeting finally took place in December 2010 but yielded no real results. Shortly afterwards a new fire, in the That’s it Sportswear/Hameem factory, which supplied to Gap, PVH Target and others, killed 29 workers.
- 2012
- 21 March
PVH first brand to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on factory safety in Bangladesh
In the wake a continuous string of factory incidents, labour rights activists developed a proposal for a binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that brands would be able to sign with unions to commit to an enforceable safety programme for their factories in Bangladesh with independent building inspections, worker rights training, public disclosure and a long-overdue review of safety standards. The first company to sign it was PVH, owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein. On 14 September 2012, German brand Tchibo was the second retailer to sign the MoU. Read more about the developments that led to this ground-breaking MoU.
- 2012
- 24 November
Tazreen Fashions fire
A fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory, which supplied major brands including C&A, Dickies, Disney, Edinburgh Woollen Mill, El Corte Ingles, Enyce (Sean John), Karl Rieker, KiK, Piazza Italia, Sears/Kmart, Teddy Smith, Walmart, killed 112 workers and injured many more. Workers were trapped behind closed exits and barred windows. This horrific fire once more showed how brands’ lack of action in a demonstrably unsafe garment industry continued to cost workers’ lives.
- 2013
- 24 April
Rana Plaza collapse
On 23 April 2013 large structural cracks were discovered in the Rana Plaza building. The shops and the bank on the lower floors immediately closed. But warnings to avoid using the building were ignored by the garment factory owners of 5 factories on the upper floors. Garment workers were ordered to return to work the following day. If there would have been unions in these factories which could have collectively voiced the right to refuse unsafe work, or if workers would not have been earning poverty wages, they might not have entered the factory under threat of losing one month of wages. Poverty wages, lack of freedom of association and in some cases actual violence meant workers felt forced to enter an unsafe building. The building collapsed just an hour later, killing 1,138 people. The incident could have been entirely avoidable.
- 2013
- 01 May
1 million signatures to make brands sign on to the binding safety agreement
Immediately after the collapse, campaigning that had been ongoing escalated further. Unions, like UNI Global Union and IndustriALL, and other organisations in and outside the Clean Clothes Campaign network protested at storefronts and collected over 1 million signatures urging brands like H&M and Gap to sign on to a legally binding safety agreement (in line with the earlier MoU) by 15 May: a date agreed by brands during a meeting about factory safety shortly after the collapse.
- 2013
- 15 May
First brands sign the Bangladesh Accord
Over 30 brands, including the previous signatories PVH and Tchibo and new major sign ons like H&M, Inditex, C&A, Primark, and Benetton, signed what was now called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This groundbreaking binding agreement, in which unions have 50% of the say and can hold brands legally accountable if they don’t live up to their promises, went into effect immediately. Eventually, over 220 brands would sign on to this initial 5-year programme which would be renewed in 2018, making more than 1600 factories in Bangladesh safer for over 2.5 million workers. Read more about the history of how the Accord came about.
- 2013
- 10 July
Walmart and Gap announce a rival scheme
Gap and Walmart, two famous hold outs on the work towards a legally binding safety programme in Bangladesh, announced their own programme: the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. 15 other North American brands which failed to join the Accord became part of this initiative. The Accord’s witness signatories rejected this corporate driven scheme from the outset for its failure to include unions and lack of accountability. The witness signatories would continue to monitor the Alliance over the years and concluded that the programme lacked transparency and that many safety remediations were dangerously delayed, whereas others were too easily declared fulfilled. After 5, unconvincingly and contrary to the Accord, the Alliance declared its work “done.”
- 2015
- 10 October
Witness signatories monitor brands’ progress under the Accord
Taking their role as witness signatory seriously, the NGOs that signed the Accord as witnesses next to brands and unions continued to monitor the Accord’s work and whether brands were meeting their obligations under the Accord. In a range of public reports (1, 2, 3), they urged brands to make haste with the mandated life-saving repairs and renovations that were behind deadline and to ensure that factories had enough funds available to implement these corrective actions in a timely manner.
- 2017
- 06 April
Accord prevents factory collapse
In one example of the effectiveness of the interventions of the Accord, on 6 April 2017, the fact that workers could appeal to the Accord complaint mechanism prevented a likely factory collapse. Workers who noted cracks in the walls of their factory appealed to the Accord when the factory owner failed to act. The Accord ordered immediate evacuation of the building and ensured that workers only returned after completion of full remediation.
- 2017
- 29 June
New Accord announced by unions and brands
After four years of work under the Accord, it was clear to brands and unions that safety is an ongoing operation and that even the work to remediate all safety hazards found on first inspection was not entirely done yet even though the Accord was making progress. Therefore they negotiated and announced a new three year programme, due to run from June 2018 to June 2021. This new agreement contained an expanded training programme and offered the option for signatories to voluntarily add their home textiles and fabric and knit accessories suppliers to the Accord programme, which enabled companies that sell textiles, but not garments, to also sign up.
- 2017
- 04 July
Multifabs explosion
A boiler explosion at the Multifabs Ltd. factory killed 13 people, injured dozens more and led to a partial collapse of the factory. In response labour organisations called for inclusion of boiler inspections into the Accord, which were one of the main safety issues still under the purview of the government of Bangladesh. The Accord started a boiler inspection pilot in 2018 and the Accord stakeholders eventually agreed to include boiler inspections under the Accord’s purview. Still however the implementation of the boiler programme remains problematically slow. This incident also once more showed the urgent need for an employment injury insurance scheme for all garment workers.
- 2018
- 01 June
The first Accord ended, a new Accord started
By the time the five year mandate of the first Bangladesh Accord ended, a lot had been achieved. Over 1600 factories had been inspected and 84% of the safety hazards found upon first inspection had been fixed. The Accord had trained 2.2 million workers on how to identify safety hazards, utilise the Accord’s complaint mechanism, and safely evacuate the factory in case of a fire. At the same time, factory owners had not yet completed some of the most costly repairs and renovations. When the new Accord started in June 2018, some brands refused to sign the new agreement, prioritising profits over safety. Brands like Abercrombie & Fitch and Sean John did not join again. Nevertheless, over 190 brands would stay loyal to the Accord, or joined the programme for the first time because of its expanded mandate that now also included home textiles.
- 2018
- 30 November
The continuation of the Accord under threat
Not everyone in Bangladesh was happy that the Accord programme was continuing. Government concerns that the Accord would permanently replace national inspectorates were addressed already in 2017 through an agreement about capacity building and transitioning the work to national authorities. In April 2018 factory owners and the government used a court case by a disgruntled factory owner, who was barred from doing business for Accord signatories following falsification of engineer reports, to expel the Accord from Bangladesh as per 30 November 2018. The proceedings dragged on for months after that date during which witness signatories showed that the Accord’s work was direly needed until governmental agencies would be ready to take over the work.