INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
housed five garment clothing factories, collapsed, killing 1,134 people and injuring approximately 2,500, in the deadliest disaster in the
for safety inspections in the Bangladeshi garment industry, which is the second largest exporter of clothing in the world, behind China
But since 2013, numerous top clothing brands have held out on signing on to the accord and subsequent extensions
In 2021, an expanded international accord was developed to include more safety and worker health provisions beyond fire, electrical and
structural inspections and repairs of factories
It covers garment factories in Pakistan as well as Bangladesh.The worker health and safety provisions include covering complaints of
excessive overtime, lack of maternity leave, regular breaks, access to clean water and bathrooms, and workplace accidents such as heat
It also provides a worker complaint mechanism where employees can confidentially report violations and bind signatories to supporting the
Photograph: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Rex/ShutterstockOver 170 fashion brands have signed on to the accord, including Adidas,
American Eagle, Fruit of the Loom, H-M, Zara, Hugo Boss, Puma, Primark, and PVH which owns the brands Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.The
US-based non-profit Remake, in partnership with the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, which represents 70,000 female garment workers in
Bangladesh, the Labour Education Foundation in Pakistan, the US-based Service Employees International Union affiliate Workers United and
to the accord.Private auditing programs ..
accord gives workers an equal seat at the table
complain about inadequate safety measures and a lack of access to water and medical care
Photograph: Mustasinur Rahman Alvi/Eyepix Group/Rex/ShutterstockAs part of the campaign, activists have deliveredletters, sent hundreds of
London, Delhi, Bengaluru, Dhaka and several other cities.In testimonies provided anonymously for fear of retaliation, workers in Bangladesh
We are not given machine guards
We do not have access to clean or cold water
It is so hot but we still have to drink hot water
People often faint due to the heat
If there is no overtime available we are forced to work from one to one and a half hours unpaid
Our supervisors and managers treat us very badly
factories that are covered under the accord without signing on to it, as brands compensate for the safety inspections and oversight of the
citing several internal programs and efforts
with the intent and the spirit of the international accord and applaud the progress it has made
But it is not the only way to support workers in Bangladesh or anywhere else
We believe our programs, with their checks and balances, help us go further and give us greater agility to implement new learnings and
continue to augment and expand our programs, and when we hear of facilities that are not where they should be or workers reporting
grievances, we investigate those instances, mandate that our suppliers address any issues that are found, and track their progress closely
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
