117 killed in factory that supplied Walmart and other popular brands.
from International Labor Rights Forum
More than one hundred workers died as a result of the garment factory fire that started on Saturday evening at Tazreen Fashions, owned by Tuba Group.
Together with our partners in Bangladesh and around the world, ILRF is calling for an independent and transparent investigation into the causes of the fire; full and fair compensation to be paid to injured workers and to the families of the deceased; and effective action from all parties involved to prevent future tragedies.
In addition to finding evidence that the factory produced Walmart’s Faded Glory brand, researchers found over a dozen other brand logos on clothing and documents in the factory, including Ace, C&A, Dickies, Fashion Basics, Sean Combs Company's Enyce brand, Edinburgh Woollen Mill's brands PG Field and Country Rose, Hippo, Infinity Woman, Karl Rieker GMBH & Co, Kebo Raw, Kik, Piaza Italia, Soffe, and True Desire.
This is the deadliest factory fire in the history of the Bangladesh apparel industry, which is the world’s second largest apparel exporter after China.
For several years, the International Labor Rights Forum has been tracking and responding to factory fires in Bangladesh’s garment industry. This is the most deadly factory fire in the history of the apparel industry in Bangladesh, which is the world’s second largest apparel exporter after China. Export data have indicated that Walmart is the second largest buyer of garments from Bangladesh, after H&M.
First reports suggest the fire was started by an electrical short circuit. Faulty wiring is a common cause of factory fires in Bangladesh.
According to fire department operations director, Major Mohammad Mahbub, the factory had no emergency exits. Workers unable to escape were burned alive. Others jumped to their deaths to escape the flames. The death toll continues to rise as rescue workers plow through the remains of the devastated factory.
According to ILRF research, since 2005 more 700 garment workers have died as a result of unsafe buildings in Bangladesh. The data indicate a trend that brands can no longer ignore.
In March 2012, PVH Corporation (owner of Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Van Heusen, IZOD, ARROW, GH Bass, and Eagle) signed an agreement with Bangladeshi unions, international unions, ILRF and other labor rights groups to develop a fire safety program to prevent future deaths in Bangladesh’s garment industry.
The program includes independent inspections, public reporting, mandatory repairs and renovations, a central role for workers and unions in both oversight and implementation, supplier contracts with sufficient financing and adequate pricing, and a binding contract to make these commitments enforceable. German retailer Tchibo joined the agreement in September.
Other brands implicated in large, deadly factory fires in 2010 — including H&M, Gap, JCPenney, Target, Abercrombie, Kohl’s and Carter’s — have also been invited to join the agreement.
We hope the tragic fire at Tazreen will serve as an urgent call to action for all major brands that rely on Bangladesh’s low wages to make a profit.
“Unfortunately, Gap Inc withdrew last month from fire safety discussions and instead announced their own non-binding program, which lacks central elements of the fire safety program signed by PVH and Tchibo,” said Judy Gearhart, executive director of International Labor Rights Forum.
Gearhart added: “We hope the tragic fire at Tazreen will serve as an urgent call to action for all major brands that rely on Bangladesh’s low wages to make a profit. Their voluntary and confidential monitoring programs have failed; now it is time to come together and make a contractual commitment to workers and to involve workers and their organizations in the solution.”
About International Labor Rights Forum
ILRF is an advocacy organization dedicated to achieving just and humane treatment for workers worldwide.
One Response to “Bangladesh garment factory fire worst yet”
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The similarities between this fire and the Triangle Shirtwaist fire of 1911 are almost too horrible to contemplate.