DHAKA: Many of Rana Plaza victims and their families are still waiting to meet the compensation. As a result the foreign buyers are being averse to the factory owners in this issue.
Earlier on 24 April in 2013, Rana Plaza, an eight-storey commercial building, housed five garment factories, other shops and a bank, collapsed in Savar.
The search for the dead ended on 13 May with the death toll of 1,136. Approximately 2,438 injured people were rescued from the building alive. It is considered as the deadliest garment-factory accident in history.
The five garment factories are Ether Tex Ltd, New Wave Bottoms Ltd, New Wave Style Ltd, Phantom Apparels Ltd and Phantom Tac Ltd.
Bangladesh Garment Manufactures & Exporters Association (BGMEA) sources said that some 29 international buyers were involved in those five garments. But the matter of sorrow is that only one buyer came forward to help the Rana Plaza victims and rest of others even withdrew their orders.
The President of BGMEA M Atikul Islam said that the foreign buyers cancelled their purchase order of 110-million US dollars from several garment factories. This created a threat to the industry as well as the RMG workers. But still the hope is alive as the buyers have promised to continue the further orders.
According to the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), some 28 famous brands took garment products from the garment factories of Rana Plaza. Only one of them provided compensation to the victims and rest of others denied orders. As a result some 50 other garment factories were closed and around 50-thousand workers became jobless. If this flow continues then half of a million workers will be jobless in near future.
The Former President of BGMEA and President of Exporters` Association of Bangladesh Abdus Salam Murshedy told banglanews that the buyers promise us in many ways but forget to fulfill those properly. The same happened to Rana Plaza victims as well.
The buyers emphasized on increasing wage of workers on the other hand they are canceling orders and are not providing the rate of the products up to the satisfactory. This can be a threat for the owners as well as the workers.
The representative of Accord--the platform of EU buyers and President of United Federation of Garments Workers Roy Ramesh Chandra opposed the blames against buyers. He further mentioned that one of the leading buyers ‘Primark’ has already given a direct compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza collapse. Another 15 buying organizations have also promised to create a fund and provide further aid to them, he added.
However, the morning of April 24 of last year was a dark session in our history. Some 5000 workers were working in those factories of Rana Plaza. According to the government’s data some 1136 people lost their lives where 2438 were rescued with great difficulties.
Moreover, the locals along with fire fighters, law enforcers started the rescue campaign. People from all walks of life came forward with food, water, oxygen, blood and medicines. The rescuers supplied food, water and oxygen to people trapped inside the building. After a 20-day rescue campaign there was grieve everywhere. Thousands of family members and relatives gathered there to get their beloved one back.
There were many who were only earners in their respective families. The cry of thousands orphans expressed the darkest tragedies of life. Today we solemnly reflect on that dark day one year ago, when lives and humanity became helpless in front of the cruelty of fate.
The government has provided Tk 1 lac each to the families of 909 victims who laid their lives at their work place. The 36 others mutilated got Tk 10 to 15 lacs each. There is no compensation which can be a supplementary for the lives but still the families of the victims and injured are hoping to lead a better life and forget the painful battle. The garment industry, politicians, advocacy groups, consumers, NGOs should come forward to help the victims and their families.
** Huge crowd on highway in Savar
BDST: 1048 HRS, APR 24, 2014
