In
a victory for labour unions, a global clothing brand has agreed to pay $2.3
million to meet fire and building safety regulations in 150 garment factories
across its supply chain in Bangladesh, unions say on Monday, January 22, 2018.
Star file photo.In a victory for labour unions, a global clothing
brand has agreed to pay $2.3 million to meet fire and building safety
regulations in 150 garment factories across its supply chain in Bangladesh,
unions said Monday.
The settlement is one the largest payments made by a brand to remedy workplace
dangers in Bangladesh, the unions said
in a statement.Dangerous 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
unions took the brand - which cannot be named under the terms of the settlement
- to the Permanent Court of Arbitration in the Hague, arguing the company had
not made it financially feasible for its factories to fix safety issues,
endangering the lives of thousands of workers.
Source: Bangladesh News, Bangladesh Tuesday, 23 January 2018