In late November 2012, thousands of garment workers blocked the streets of Dhaka (Bangladesh) to protest against unsafe working conditions. This protest took place after over 120 workers died in a fire at an eight-story factory of Tazreen Fashion Ltd. – a contract supplier that produces apparel for Walmart, C&A (a Swiss owned discount chain store), etc. This may come as a shock to Americans because no U.S. factory workers have died from a lack of basic fire safety for over a century. Unfortunately, unsafe working conditions are common in Bangladesh; since 2005, over 700 garment workers have died due to unsafe buildings ranging from no fire alarms (or sprinklers) to no emergency exits (or fire escapes), and from overloaded electrical wiring for sewing equipment to locked factories.
As a reactive measure, many international brands (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, Gap, J.C. Penney, Target, sourcing agent Li & Fung, etc.), who sourced their garments from those affected factories, have contributed to a fund for victims' relatives in the amount of 100,000 takas ($1,200 USD per victim). At the same time, Washington-based International Labor Rights Forum (ILRF) has urged the Bangladeshi government to impose and enforce fire safety standards in factories. Meanwhile, we see finger pointing. According to the Huffington Post, the owner of the Tazreen factory pleaded ignorance by saying: "It wasn't my fault…nobody told me that there was no emergency exit…, and no one ever suggested that I install one…" At the same time, Bangladesh's Labor Minister said that factories without emergency exits – or with only one such exit – will be forced to close until they upgrade their safety infrastructure. (However, it was not clear when and how that directive will be enforced.)
Moving forward, I think many international brands are facing a dilemma. If they stop sourcing from Bangladesh, millions of poor garment workers who earn less than $2 (USD) per day will be out of work. This is because the garment industry is Bangladesh's single largest industry, accounting for over 80% of the country's exports. Therefore, there are implicit moral obligations for these international brands to support these workers. If they continue sourcing from Bangladesh, they need to do something proactive. Instead of waiting for the government to take real actions, these companies can start working with various international labor-rights groups to create safety standards, working with independent agencies to inspect and audit factories for compliance, and working with various NGOs to provide training workshops on workplace safety and fire drills. As we enjoy wearing affordable and comfortable apparel made in Bangladesh, let us hope these international brands will do the right thing so that Bangladeshi workers can take to the streets again. This time to celebrate!
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