TUC urges DFID to match fund contributions to Rana Plaza fund for victims

The TUC General Secretary has written to Justine Greening, Secretary of State for Department for International Development urging the UK government to match-fund contributions by UK based companies to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund and pressure the Bangladesh government to increase, and openly declare, its contribution. 

Dear Justine

Bangladesh compensation

I was pleased to receive Alan Duncan MP’s letter of 2 July setting out his actions to urge companies that source from Bangladesh to pay into the ILO-administered Rana Plaza Trust fund (copy attached for reference) and it was also welcome that he signed the statement with other EU ministers at the OECD meeting in June calling on companies that sourced from Bangladesh, the BGMEA and the government of Bangladesh to provide adequate support for the Fund. 

I would now like to urge you to take this statement further by providing DFID match-funding for donations from UK based companies to the Fund.  This would both encourage more companies to pay into the Fund and demonstrate to the government of Bangladesh the important role that governments need to play in providing support for victims of industrial harm. 

I would also like you to exert further pressure, in concert with colleagues at the FCO, on the Bangladesh government to increase the contributions we are aware it has made to the Fund and be open about declaring the amount it has contributed.

Clearly, more needs to be done. Without urgent action, the shortfall of £13 million to the Fund will not be filled, meaning the victims of Rana Plaza will not be provided with the income and medical treatment they urgently require.

I look forward to hearing from you about what further action you are able to take to encourage companies and the government of Bangladesh to pay into the Rana Plaza Trust fund.

Yours sincerely

FRANCES O’GRADY

General Secretary