ten years after the Rana Plaza accident in Bangladesh, progress has been made in terms of safety

On April 24, 2013 in Bangladesh, the collapse of an eight-storey building, partly built illegally, led to the death of 1,134 people. Most were workers in the service of Fast Fashion who made clothes for major Western brands like Benetton, Gucci or Zara.

>> “Security has improved, not salary conditions”: ten years later, has the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh changed “fast fashion”?

The drama of the Rana Plaza accident forced international brands and local factories to agree to the creation of an independent factory inspection structure in Bangladesh. This “Agreement”, placed under the aegis of the International Labor Organization (ILO) and legally binding, is innovative: it obliges the multinational clothing companies to pay for the repairs of the buildings of their subcontractors. And it works: for 10 years, there have been no major accidents, rejoices Kalpona Akter, the president of the Bangladeshi Federation of Textile Workers.

“Our textile factories are much safer today. We are no longer afraid of another Rana Plaza.”

Kalpona Akter, President of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Federation

at franceinfo

“And it happened thanks to the phenomenal work of the ‘Accord'”, applauds the trade unionist. This “Agreement” has been signed by 175 brands (H&M, Zara, Primark, Uniqlo…), others have refused (Walmart, Ikea, Amazon, Levi’s, Auchan…) It covers more than two million of the few four million Bangladeshi textile workers. Since 2014, 1,600 factories have been renovated and made safe, i.e. around half of the country’s fleet.

The “Accord” under threat

But for three years, the structure has changed, warns the president of the Bangladeshi federation of textile workers. “The board of directors is no longer egalitariandenounces Kalpona Akter. There are 12 members for the industrialists against six for the trade unions. However, factory owners are opposed to this control system. So we fear that it will be challenged.” The same inspection system was officially extended to Pakistan this year. And 35 foreign brands present on the spot have integrated it, such as Carrefour and Monoprix.