Can safety be assured in Bangladesh’s garment industry?
The safety accord signed after the Rana Plaza disaster is due to be renegotiated.
The 2013 Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh highlighted a dark side of the global fashion industry: workers in the developing world making clothes in dangerous conditions to be sold in wealthier nations.
Just weeks after 1,100 people died in the disaster, international fashion brands signed a legally binding accord to improve factory conditions across Bangladesh.
As the agreement was about to expire, unions and manufacturers agreed to extend it for three months.
But what happens if they fail to negotiate a replacement? And who will protect the people who make many of our clothes?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Nazma Akter – President, Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation
Ben Vanpeperstraete – Senior Legal Adviser at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights
Alke Boessiger – Deputy General Secretary, UNI Global Union