Latest Factory Fire in Bangladesh Must Be the “Last”, ILO Says

By Kanya D'Almeida Reprint | | Print |

UNITED NATIONS, Oct 9 2013 (IPS) - On Tuesday, Oct. 8, 25 miles north of Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, the town of Gazipur became the site of yet another tragedy involving the South Asian country’s massive garments sector.

Firefighters on the ground told reporters Tuesday that nine people were killed and 50 badly injured in a fire that sparked in the knitting section of Aswad Composite Mills factory and spread quickly through the building where 170 labourers were hard at work.

The incident rekindled dark memories of the deadly collapse of the Rana Plaza building back in April that killed over 1,100 people, making it one of the worst industrial accidents in history and earning Bangladesh harsh criticism from labour rights activists around the world.

On Wednesday,  the United Nations labour agency joined the chorus of voices calling urgently for better safety regulations in a sector that employs four million people and brings in 20 billion dollars annually – a full 80 percent of the country’s foreign exchange earnings.

Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Guy Ryder said in a statement, “This latest fire to affect the ready-made garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh reflects the sad and shocking truth that not enough is being done to address the safety and health of garment factory workers.”

“Despite the staggering loss of life over the past years, workers are still dying for reasons that could well be avoided if decent working conditions were in place.”  Last November, the Tazreen Fashion Factory on the outskirts of Dhaka went up in flames, killing over 100 garment workers. Those who survived claimed that factory officials and floor managers prevented many people from escaping.

Survivors of the Rana Plaza tragedy told IPS back in April that engineers conducting a routine inspection of the eight-storey building had warned the owners of the five factories housed therein of a possible collapse due to poor construction.  These warnings were ignored, and management personnel went so far as to threaten workers with dismissal if they didn’t show up to work.

Bangladesh is now home to the world’s third largest garments sector, behind China and Vietnam. With 49 percent of the country’s 150 million people living below the poverty line, major apparel companies have found in Bangladesh a vast reservoir of cheap labour that amounts to fantastic profits.

The list of brands to have outsourced production to Bangladesh includes Gap, Primark, HMV, Walmart, Sears and American Apparel.

Foreign and local safety inspectors have dubbed the nearly 5,000 factories that dot the suburbs of Dhaka a disaster waiting to happen, while U.S.-based labour advocates have been urging companies to sign the comprehensive Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement in an effort to prevent more tragedies from unfolding.

On Oct. 8 the ILO noted that such efforts are showing signs of success, with the Bangladeshi government and its partners “collaborating to improve working conditions, strengthen labour inspections and upgrade building and fire safety in RMG factories around the country.”

Still, as Ryder pointed out on a somber note, “[A]ll efforts and commitments will be in vain until they translate into concrete actions to avoid further loss of life or injury to workers….The fire at Aswad Composite Mills should not be just the latest tragedy to beset the industry. It must be the last.”