Rana Plaza Anniversary
Four Years on Has Anything Changed?
Who could forget the scenes of devastation that we saw on 24th April 2013 when the Rana Plaza factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing over 1,000 garment workers? Now four years on what has changed? The New Daily reports that after the tragedy 200 international apparel brands and retailers from about 20 countries, two global trade unions, and eight Bangladesh trade unions came together to develop the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety, which mandates safety inspections. Twelve major Australian brands have joined the Accord. However there continues to be concerns about the safety of workers four years on. Workers are not paid enough to meet their families basic needs. We need to advocate for safe, secure, well-paid jobs for garment workers. We need to ensure that the clothes we purchase in Australia have been ethically produced. The recently released 2017 Ethical Fashion Guide provides information about 106 Australian and New Zealand companies. You can help eliminate exploitation of garment workers.