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Statement on the twelfth anniversary of the Ali Enterprises fire
Public Eye Awards 2014: Gap receives 'award of shame'
Today, the Berne Declaration (EvB) and Greenpeace Switzerland award American textile giant Gap the Public Eye Jury Award for their continuous refusal to contribute to effective reforms in the textile industry. The Public Eye Awards shine a light on the current and most serious cases of human rights violations and disregard for environmental protection and sustainability by corporations.
Survivors Rana Plaza collapse start claiming compensation
From today, one month before the first anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, the families of the 1138 workers killed in the disaster and over a thousand workers left with life changing injuries can start registering claims for compensation to cover the financial losses and medical costs they suffered as a result.
Global actions targeting Benetton and Mango in Rana Plaza aftermath
Today marks one week until the two-year anniversary of the worst industrial accident to ever hit the garment industry, when the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh came crashing down. Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and its trade union allies and partners mark the second anniversary of disaster with a global call to action, demanding brands such as Benetton and Mango to pay up to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund.
Call for action after Chinese factory collapse
The Clean Clothes Campaign expresses sadness and anger at the news of a tragic loss of life at a shoe factory that collapsed in east China last Saturday, and sends its heartfelt condolences to all the families affected.
10 ways H&M is spinning the facts on worker safety
H&M's response to CCC's recent report 'Evaluation of H&M Compliance with Safety Action Plans for Strategic Suppliers in Bangladesh 2015', focusing on H&M's worker safety failures in Bangladesh is replete with false and misleading statements, demonstrating that the company remains unwilling to address the issue in a serious and forthright manner. In this news update, we explore various claims made by H&M, concerning our report and concerning the delays in safety renovations at its supplier factories in Bangladesh, relative to the deadlines imposed by the Accord on Fire and Building Safety.
Three years after signing Bangladesh Accord, H&M factories still not safe
As H&M shareholders prepare to meet in Sweden tomorrow, the Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, Maquila Solidarity Network, and Worker Rights Consortium have released a report showing that the majority of H&M’s Bangladeshi supplier factories are still not safe. Three years after H&M became the first signatory to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, almost all of its factories remain behind schedule in carrying out the mandated renovations, with 70% of its strategic suppliers still lacking such a vital, life-saving feature as adequate fire exits. On the day of H&M’s Annual General Meeting, activists around the world will make their concerns known at their local H&M store.
Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety overstates progress while workers' lives remain at risk
An analysis published by labour rights organizations today reveals considerable delays in repairing safety defects in factories supplying member companies of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety. Even more concerning is the fact that the Alliance overstates progress: many of the factories listed as "on track" on the Alliance website still face major safety hazards. This means that hundred thousands of workers stitching clothes for Walmart, Gap, VF Corporation, Target and Hudson's Bay Company, and their European subsidiaries Asda (Walmart), Galeria Kaufhof and Galeria Inno (both HBC), continue to work in hazardous conditions. These brands, despite knowing about these risks for a considerable time, have failed to make sure these factories are safe.
Four years since Aswad fire compensation by brands can no longer wait
Today four years ago, a fire broke out in the Aswad Composite Mills textile mill in Bangladesh, killing at least seven workers and injuring over fifty. Happening six months after the deadly Rana Plaza collapse, this tragedy never received much attention, and four years on, the families and survivors still remain without full and fair compensation. On this day, our thoughts are with the families that suffered losses. Clean Clothes Campaign urges the brands that were sourcing from the factory, including H&M, C&A and Primark, to ensure that these families finally receive the compensation that they should have been provided with so many years ago.
Bangladesh Safety Accord will continue safety work after 2018; Brands sourcing from Bangladesh should sign on
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh will continue its coordination of brands’ due diligence obligations after 2018. This was reconfirmed unequivocally over the last few weeks by the Accord’s signatories, secretariat and witness signatories, after earlier ambiguous statements in the press about an early retreat from Bangladesh. Clean Clothes Campaign, as one of the four witness signatories, whole-heartedly continues to support the Accord’s work to manage brand due diligence in the field of safety. CCC urges all brands that have not signed onto the new Accord yet to commit themselves as soon as possible to this follow-up agreement as part and parcel of their international human rights obligations within their supply chain.
Clean Clothes Campaign statement on five years anniversary of Tazreen Fashions fire
Five years ago today, the Tazreen Fashions factory in Bangladesh went up in flames. Over 112 workers died, trapped in their workplace. Many more sustained injuries for life. On this day, our thoughts are with the survivors and the families of those workers that lost loved ones in this tragedy.
100 days until current Accord ends – labour signatories urge brands to sign onto 2018 Accord
With 100 days until the current Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety expires, garment companies are urged to continue their involvement to create a safe and sustainable garment industry in Bangladesh and to sign its successor, the 2018 Transition Accord.
Week of Justice asks attention for accountability after deadly Pakistani garment factory fire
In an international week of events focusing on the deadly Ali Enterprises factory fire of 2012 a group of labour and human rights organizations tries to answer the question: if workers die stitching our clothes, who should be held responsible?
Bangladesh Government attempts to paralyze Accord and strip its independence
The Bangladesh government is using proceedings before the Supreme Court of Bangladesh to prevent the Accord on Fire and Building Safety from operating, thereby putting workers’ safety at risk.
Fatal Indian factory fire sheds light on pervasive workplace violations
Yesterday, over 40 people died in a factory fire in Delhi, India. The manifestly unsafe factory highlights the urgent need for enforcement of fire and building safety regulations and credible safety monitoring in India. While initial compensation measures have already been announced, more is needed to ensure adequate fair and full compensation to the affected workers and their families.
Garment factory fire confirms Bangladeshi inspection agencies are not yet up to their task
A fire in a Bangladeshi garment factory in Dhaka this week injured eight people, local media reports say. This tragic incident happened during a period of uncertainty and negotiation about the future of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh: the one international safety programme that has significantly improved worker safety in the garment industry since the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse.
Progress made since Rana Plaza collapse at risk
The safety programme that has been instrumental in restoring international trust in the Bangladeshi garment industry after the deadly Rana Plaza collapse of 2013 risks being expelled from the country without a credible alternative in place.
Questions raised after agreement reached on Bangladesh Accord
On 19 May 2019, the Appellate Division of the Bangladesh Supreme Court accepted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached earlier this month between the Bangladesh Accord Steering Committee and the Bangladesh employers’ association in the ready-made-garment sector, BGMEA.
Safety program established six years ago in Bangladesh has saved lives and stopped retaliation across hundreds of factories
An independent mechanism allowing garment workers to directly raise safety issues is making factories safer and empowering workers to advocate for their own safety, according to a report published today by the International Labor Rights Forum.
Seven years after fatal fire, Bangladesh still provides no financial security to garment workers injured on the job
Seven years since at least 112 workers were killed and many more injured in a fire in the Tazreen Fashions factory in Bangladesh, there is still no system in place offering financial security to workers injured at the workplace and families of workers killed on the job. If a worker loses their health or life on the job, they or their families will face the same insecurity and struggle for compensation as the Tazreen families did seven years ago. Years of planning to create a nation-wide employment injury insurance scheme have still not led to tangible results.
Seven years after deadly fire, garment workers in Pakistan still need a worker-led factory safety programme
Seven years since the Ali Enterprises factory fire of 2012, in which over 250 workers were killed, textile and garment factories in Pakistan remain as unsafe as they were then, warns a report launched today.
The Bangladesh Accord continues to operate but its independence may be at risk
As witness signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, we are concerned about the potential negative impact on worker safety, both short-term and long-term, of the recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Accord and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the diverging interpretations that have emerged over the last few weeks.
Can the garment industry’s most important safety programme stay on course?
In a public brief published this week, witness signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh express their concern about the ability of this vital programme to monitor and improve the safety of Bangladeshi garment factories. 150 days since the Bangladesh-based operations of the programme were taken over by the Ready-Made-Garment Sustainability Council (RSC), this new body has not yet been able to prove that it can credibly ensure that signatories meet the obligations of the binding Accord agreement.
Deadly Indian factory fire again shows need for preventive safety measures and justice for workers
A fire in the two-story Nandan Denim factory in the Indian city of Ahmedabad a week ago on Saturday night killed at least seven workers. According to media reports, the high death toll was caused by severe safety defects in the factory. This fire thereby painfully shows the need for concerted preventive safety measures throughout India’s garment industry.
Bangladesh Accord expiration poses liability risk to apparel brands
An analysis of existing and upcoming human rights due diligence legislation in relation to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, published today, shows that apparel brands will expose themselves to considerable liability risks if they fail to negotiate and sign a follow up agreement to this ground-breaking safety programme, which will expire in two weeks’ time.