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On the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the TUC is today (Friday) calling for urgent action on widespread violence against trade unions in Bangladesh and unpaid compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza.

24 April 2015

On the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, the TUC is today (Friday) calling for urgent action on widespread violence against trade unions in Bangladesh and unpaid compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza.

Prior to the disaster, workers at Rana Plaza were too afraid to speak out over safety concerns. Two years on, workers continue to face beating and dismissal when they call for safer factories through a union. This is due to the failure of the government of Bangladesh to reform the labour law and multinational garment companies failing to uphold labour standards in factories in Bangladesh where they source garments.

According to the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) there have been serious acts of anti-trade union violence in over 45 factories in Bangladesh with newly registered unions.

The victims of Rana Plaza also continue to wait for full compensation for the disaster, with an estimated $6m still outstanding from the Rana Plaza Donors’ Trust Fund.

TUC General Secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Two years after 1129 workers died in the Rana Plaza factory collapse, not enough has been done to make sure that such terrible events never happen again.

“Workers must be able to join a union without fear of attack, and companies must accept their moral duty to provide compensation to all workers harmed in their global supply chains.”  

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- In April 2013 almost 1200 workers, most of them young women, lost their lives when the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed in Savar district, Bangladesh.

- The Rana Plaza Trust Donors’ Fund is a no-fault fund administered by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Any organisation can contribute to the fund, whether sourcing from Rana Plaza or not. For a full list of contributors go to http://www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org/fund/donors

- The TUC has contributed £16,000 to the Rana Plaza Fund.

- $30m needs to be raised to provide full compensation to the victims of Rana Plaza and their families.

- The International Trade Union Confederation’s summary of the failures of the Bangladesh labour law to address violations of workers’ rights can be found at: http://www.ituc-csi.org/bangladesh-business-as-usual-as

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk
- Follow the TUC on Twitter: @tucnews
 

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Clare Santry  T: 020 7467 1372  M: 07717 531150  E: csantry@tuc.org.uk

Alex Rossiter  T: 020 7467 1285  M: 07887 572130  E: arossiter@tuc.org.uk
Tim Nichols  T: 020 7467 1337  M: 07876 452902  E: tnichols@tuc.org.uk
Kay Atwal  T: 020 7467 1385  M: 07941 547469  E: katwal@tuc.org.uk

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