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Bangladeshi activists and relatives of the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse take part in a protest marking the first anniversary of the disaster at the site where the building once stood, in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka.
Bangladeshi activists and relatives of the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse take part in a protest marking the first anniversary of the disaster at the site where the building once stood, in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images
Bangladeshi activists and relatives of the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse take part in a protest marking the first anniversary of the disaster at the site where the building once stood, in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka. Photograph: Munir Uz Zaman/AFP/Getty Images

Rana Plaza collapse: workplace dangers persist three years later, reports find

This article is more than 7 years old

Researchers and activists say working conditions have hardly improved for garment workers since the Bangladesh factory collapse killed 1,138 people

It’s been more than three years since 1,138 workers were killed when the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Bangladesh, yet little progress has been made to improve labor conditions for garment workers, according to the Asia Floor Wage Alliance.

Since the fatal collapse, considered the world’s worst garment factory disaster, many workers have been found to still work long hours in overheated factories without proper fire exits, according to two reports from the alliance of research and advocacy groups looking at the working conditions within the supply chain at H&M, Gap, Walmart and others.

After the Rana plaza collapse, H&M was the first and the largest brand to sign on to the 2013 Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. The accord is a legally binding agreement, which encompasses over 1,600 factories. An independent inspectorate has been established to monitor whether the factories have implemented the corrective action plans set out after the Rana Plaza collapse.

Walmart, however, has refused to sign on to the accord and instead, in partnership with the Gap, founded the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which is a voluntary organization.

Despite the binding nature of the accord, progress has been slow. Just seven out of the 1,660 factories have completed implementing their corrective action plans and another 57 factories are on track with the plans. About 1,388 factories are behind schedule, while 186 factories have yet to finalize their corrective action plans and 22 have not implemented them at all.

“Due to failed compliance with the accord, 78,842 garment workers in Bangladesh continue to produce garments for H&M in buildings without fire exits,” the Wage Alliance wrote in its recent report on working conditions at H&M suppliers’ factories.

The two reports have been released just in time for the International Labour Conference, which is being held in Geneva over the next 10 days. In the reports, the Wage Alliance has called on the International Labour Organization (ILO) to establish a Global Labour Inspectorate, which would have monitoring and enforcement powers. It has also called on ILO to set limits on the use of temporary, outsourced and other types of labor that would limit employer liability for worker protections.

The study on Walmart’s supply chain is based on interviews with 344 workers based in Bangladesh, Cambodia and India. According to the Wage Alliance, there is a lack of transparency when it comes to Walmart supply chain, which makes it difficult to hold the company accountable.

“Walmart does not publicly disclose facilities,” said the report. “Instead, Walmart’s reference to visibility and disclosure strictly refers to internal disclosure.”

All facilities are disclosed to Walmart for a “responsible sourcing” audit. Yet since the audit reports are not public either, there is no way to confirm whether its suppliers are abiding by the company’s standards.

Among other violations listed in the report are threats of termination, forced overtime, and denial of sick leave. Workers at all 14 Cambodian factories reported working 10 to14 hour days. Cambodia’s workday is set at eight hours. Workers also reported working in heat, without breaks or access to drinking water, which has led to mass fainting episodes. In Bangladesh, 50% of 121 workers interviewed said that employees had been fired without notice. About 60% said that dismissed workers are often let go without receiving their due wages and benefits.

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“We care about the men and women in our supply chain, and Walmart’s standards for suppliers lists our social and environmental expectations for our suppliers, specifically addressing working conditions, voluntary labor, the cultivation of a safe and healthy work environment, and freedom of association,” a Walmart spokeswoman told the Guardian.

She said if an audit of a Walmart supplier reveals that it does not meet the company’s standards, there is “an escalating protocol of consequences” and a three strike policy “that can lead to termination of their business with Walmart”.

A report focusing on H&M factories overseas – based on interviews with 251 workers based at 12 H&M suppliers in Cambodia and four suppliers in India – found that many of its supplier factories continue to employ workers on fixed duration contracts. Workers also reported having production targets that caused them to skip breaks.

Workers interviewed by the Wage Alliance reported working nine to 17 hours a day, exceeding the 12-hour limit on weekly overtime set by H&M. Additionally, workers reported that employees who were pregnant were often fired from their jobs.

H&M did not respond to Guardian’s request for comment, but told the New York Times that “the report raises important issues”.

“H&M has been working actively for many years to help strengthen the textile workers’ conditions and will continue to do so,” it said.

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