Ten years ago, the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed. 1,136 people lost their lives and over 2,000 were injured. The catastrophe sparked a debate about abuses in the textile industry. Has the situation improved? “We are going through a turning point,” says trade unionist Rashedul Alam Raju from Bangladesh.
MOMENT.at: Ten years later Rana Plaza: How drastic was this catastrophe for the textile industry in Bangladesh and the world?
Rashedul Alam Raju: It was one of the biggest industrial accidents in history and it shook the entire global supply chain system as well as the production process. All. People used to not think about the fact that so many workers are dying in the big brand supply chain.
MOMENT.at: Only public pressure after Rana Plaza brought about change. What happened after it declined in recent years?
Raju: We are currently experiencing an inversion. We are going back to the old bad terms. The Bangladeshi government does nothing to improve the situation of factory workers. There is an authority that should inspect the factories. 400 inspectors work in this government office, but they do not actively monitor factories and working conditions.
MOMENT.at: Are companies putting pressure on the government not to improve and control conditions in factories?
Raju: I’m not saying employers are pushing. But I must say that there are influences. Because employers are also part of the government. Whenever workers proposed changes to the law after Rana Plaza, the employers’ side came up with a counterproposal. And every time the laws were changed in accordance with their ideas.
To illustrate, the former Minister of State for Labor and Employment wanted to meet with the Prime Minister. He made him wait three or four days before getting an appointment. If the leaders of employers’ organizations are interested in meeting the Prime Minister, this can be done in a couple of hours. So you can imagine the influence of industrialists and businessmen in Bangladesh.
MOMENT.at: Is it up to international brands to pressure the government to do something?
Raju: Yes, it is retailers and brands that need to put pressure on them to change. You cannot deny your responsibility. Factories and workers make clothes for them. Therefore, they must also take responsibility for the safety of workers.
MOMENT.at: International brands sign codes of conduct in which they talk about workers being able to organize themselves. It works?
Raju: The aim of foreign and local brands is to increase their profits. Yes, there are these codes of conduct, brands also pressure producers to respect labor rights in factories. But they only act when something happens. Like after the Rana Plaza tragedy and after the Tazreen Garment Factory fire. After that there was a great outcry and demands.
Now it’s like this: We got in touch with foreign brands and asked them to help us implement these rules of conduct locally. But most of the time we don’t see positive reactions. Instead, they speak to us in the same tone as local employers.
MOMENT.at: What has to change so that workers are more heard, especially with international brands and retailers?
Raju: We have limited scope to speak with international brands and retailers. Workers cannot contact them directly. They also don’t come to interviews with us or to discussion events. They just sit with employers. They just negotiate and do business with employers.
Sure, they could push for better workers’ rights. But employers always have the attitude that workers are their enemy. They always see workers as a threat to their economic interests. Because of you, they cannot make enough profit. International brands should pressure us to sit down at the negotiating table. Only then will there be a social dialogue that closes this gap.
MOMENT.at: What should people who buy clothes from Bangladesh do to stop this kind of industry?
Raju: Consumers of global fashion brands play an essential role and should think about it. Because of course they can put pressure on brands that exploit workers by boycotting them. You can read what their code of conduct says and how they respect labor rights in their supply chains. International brands carry out so-called audits in which the situation is examined. However, it is questionable whether these reports were actually prepared independently and whether the situation of workers is fairly and accurately assessed.
MOMENT.at: The Accord agreement brought workers slightly higher wages. But it is still not sustainable. Anything getting better here?
Raju: Minimum wages are currently being renegotiated in Bangladesh. They were last raised in 2018 – to the equivalent of $95. After 2018, thousands of workers were laid off. Overtime was not paid during and after COVID-19. Because of the war between Russia and Ukraine, inflation in Bangladesh soared and commodity prices exploded.
As a result, workers’ real wages fell. The 2018 $95 is now only worth $75. We call on the government to raise the minimum wage to 23,000 Taka gross per month. This amounts to $200. So far, the government has refused. We cannot fulfill our demands.
MOMENT.at: Why is it so difficult for Bangladeshi workers to assert their interests?
Raju: There is a Minimum Wage Committee. However, the government determines the membership on the part of the officials. They always appoint representatives who support the government’s line or even those who come from the ruling party. They really don’t represent the interests of textile workers. There are 18 people on the so-called Sustainability Council. Twelve of them come from industry and only six from employees. Therefore, we are always in the minority. Our issues are suppressed, their agendas enforced.
Meanwhile, more and more obstacles are being placed in our path. Our orders are rejected for fragile reasons. Instead, they allow “yellow” unions (note: employer-dominated unions) without a problem. For us it takes months or a year. Actually enforcing workers’ rights is becoming increasingly difficult.
MOMENT.at: You were arrested a few years ago for your union work. What were the reasons? What kind of repression have you faced and are you facing?
Raju: There’s no denying that things have changed since Rana Plaza: working conditions are better, buildings are safer. At that time there was enormous pressure on the government from consumers and businesses. Unions were allowed in more and more places. But that changed again.
Trade unionists and workers are now being harassed and criminalized. The police are acting against us under pressure from employers. If we take action against layoffs, employers will file criminal cases against us and the workers. We are constantly faced with litigation and false accusations.
There are also other methods: calls from unknown numbers in which we are threatened. Employers use local thugs and influential people directly against us. They are trying to suppress our work.
MOMENT.at: Ten years after the disaster, then-owner Sohel Rana and 34 other suspects have yet to be prosecuted over the deaths. Why is this taking so long?
Raju: Political will is needed for this. They could have referred the case to a separate court for a speedy trial. But they haven’t. Instead, they launched an orderly process that will take 10 or 20 years. Everything is late, that’s the main problem.
And the disaster was avoidable.
It should only have been built 5 stories high. The owner illegally built three more floors. There was heavy machinery on every floor and the building had visible cracks. The workers refused to go in there. The owner and the bosses forced us to go to the factories and continue to work. Unions were not allowed in any of the factories, workers were not organized. Otherwise they could have avoided it.
MOMENT.at: At least the families of those who died and survivors of the disaster were adequately compensated?
Raju: Not completely. Workers can hardly enforce their rights. The Labor Court is overloaded. Workers have to travel a lot to reach the courts. They don’t take time off from their factories to appear in court. You have attorney fees. The relatives of the deceased have already received some compensation.
For those who have been injured, disabled and traumatized, things don’t look so good. Some of them received some money. But that only goes for medical treatment. But how are they supposed to survive now and secure their existence for themselves and their families? There is no help for them. This is the main problem. We keep bringing it up, but no one listens.
More about it
Three arguments for a supply chain law
EU supply chain law: what can you do and who is affected?
Should have, should have, supply chain – wait a minute with Barbara Blaha