Fashion brands in The Hague’s dock over factory safety in Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Accord was signed in 2013 after the Rana Plaza disaster, as an independent, legally-binding agreement between global brands and trade unions to establish a fire and building safety programme for workers in the textile industry.“For any brand that isn’t in compliance, this decision sends a message that they cannot shirk their responsibilities to worker safety,” said Jenny Holdcroft of IndustriALL Global Union, one of two unions federations to lodge the complaints.

Poor working conditions and low wages have long been a concern in Bangladesh’s garment industry, which suffered one of the worst industrial accidents in 2013, when more than 1,100 people were killed in the collapse of the Rana Plaza complex.The two cases will be the first that the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague judges under the accord, two global labour union federations said in a statement.The names of the two fashion brands accused of breaking the agreement must remain confidential, according to the PCA, which ruled on Monday that the claims were admissible and within its jurisdiction. The court will judge the cases in March 2018.The complaints allege that the two brands failed to compel their suppliers to improve their facilities within the mandatory deadlines, and did not help them to cover the costs to do so.Under the accord, more than 118,500 fire, electrical and structural hazards have been identified at 1,800 factories which supply at least 200 brands, according to the two federations.“This decision is a win for worker safety and for accountability in Bangladesh’s garment industry,” said Christy Hoffman, deputy secretary general of the UNI Global Union.“The legally-binding nature of the Accord is a central pillar of its effectiveness.”Bangladesh, which ranks behind only China as a supplier of clothes to Western countries, relies on apparel for more than 80 percent of its exports and about 4 million jobs.The Rana Plaza disaster prompted fashion retailers to work more closely together to protect workers and ensure the safety of buildings in the South Asian nation, and legislation was introduced to ensure greater supply-chain transparency.Yet campaigners say the progress by retailers in fixing problems in the supply chain has been slow – with long hours, low pay, poor safety standards and not being allowed to form trade unions common complaints from garment workers. 

Related Posts

Asia-Pacific region drives tax-free purchases in department stores in 2018

Department stores in the APAC zone saw a 47 percent increase in tax-free shopping sales over the past five years, according to figures from the tax rebate…

Bangalore- more than 10,000 textile workers take to the streets

The most extensive damages were recorded in Bangalore, where over 10,000 workers from five local apparel factories blocked one of the main access routes to the city….

Amsterdam ‘fashion library’ takes aim at clothes waste

Billed as one of the world’s only physical centres for renting used and new clothing, the “big shared wardrobe” in the Dutch capital is a response to…

Google hit with 600,000 euro Belgian privacy fine

The 600,000 euro penalty is the largest ever imposed by APD, it said on Tuesday, and more than 10 times bigger than the authority’s previous record penalty.Google…

Global consumers say affordability will be key for shopping post-Covid

It also means they’ll prioritise affordability (32%) and health (25%), over the planet (17%), society (14%) and experience (12%) in the future.That said, given that the survey…

India to renew labour law overhaul drive to boost jobs

Modi made a shake-up of India’s labour market a part of his reform agenda after coming into office in 2014, but opposition from unions and a bruising…