2 June, 2015Culpability for the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed more than 1,100 people and injured 2,500, is widespread, says IndustriALL Global Union as the owner of the factory complex and 41 other people have been charged with murder over the building’s collapse in Bangladesh two years ago.
Murder charges have been brought against the owners of garment factories in the building and more than a dozen government officials, who are accused of ignoring warnings not to enter the building the day before the collapse on 24 April 2013.
Jyrki Raina, general secretary of IndustriALL, which represents garment workers in Bangladesh, said:
Rana Plaza victims and their families deserve justice. Responsibility for Bangladesh’s worst-ever industrial disaster runs far and wide. The Rana Plaza collapse was the culmination of an unsustainable system of production that demands suppliers produce more for less, and depends on cheap labour and low costs no matter what the consequences.
“Now, factory inspections carried out by the Bangladesh Accord mean that responsible brands no longer rely on self-controlled auditing systems which failed so miserably in the past.
However, two years on and Rana Plaza victims are still waiting for full and proper compensation. We urge that brands sourcing from country, as well as the Bangladesh government fulfill their obligations and give the US$ 2.3 million needed to complete compensation payments to victims.