Published in Daily Observer on Wednesday, 25 April 2018
Five Years of the Tragedy
Call to punish people behind Rana Plaza collapse
A labour rights platform and experts urged the government to give exemplary punishment to people responsible for the collapse of the Rana Plaza and ensure better working conditions in all factories, including the garment sector.
They also demanded strict adherence to the rules of the national building code and introduction of workplace accident insurance for workers in all industrial sectors to ensure their security.
The demands were made on separate occasions while observing, “Five years of Rana Plaza collapse day” in the capital city on Tuesday.
At a programme commemorating the victims of Rana Plaza collapse Labour Safety Forum demanded proper and quick delivery of justice for Rana Plaza tragedy and to met out punishments to people responsible for the catastrophe.
The forum paid respects to the Rana Plaza victims by placing wreaths at their graves at Jurain in the capital.
The members of the forum said already five years have passed but justice is still to be dispensed.
They stressed on proper rehabilitation of the injured and ensure their full treatment.
Several members of the organization, including the convener of the organisation, Dr Hamida Hossain, President of National Labour Alliance, Mejbah Uddin Ahmed, Honorary Executive Director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Service Trust (BLAST) Sara Hossain addressed the programme.
Meanwhile, at a roundtable meeting on “Five years of Rana Plaza collapse: Experience, achievement and what needs to be done,” experts said safety assessment is needed for plastic and chemical industries along with the garment sector. The meetings held at the Daily Star office in the capital.
Terming workplace security standard in Bangladesh still weak compared with the global standards, they said, workplace accident insurance should be introduced for workers in all industrial sectors to ensure their security.
Roy Romesh Chandra, member of the advisory council of the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies said the amended labour law has narrowed the security issue of workers.
“The revised law does not cover the rehabilitation of workers in case of workplace accident. This is the weakness of the law,” he said.
Chandra said the Rana Plaza collapse occurred because of the absence of the rule of law.
“The concerned government bodies that gave the approval to construct the building are responsible for the tragedy,” he added.
The national building code should be followed properly and a specialised body should look into whether it is being implemented, said the labour leader.
Former labour secretary Mikail Shipar suggested amending the existing labour act to cover the complete security issue of workers.
“We need safety assessment of the plastic and chemical industries along with the garment sector,” he said, adding that the workplace security standard in Bangladesh is still weak compared with the global standards.
He went on to express trepidation that security monitoring will collapse once the foreign inspection agencies, the Accord and the Alliance, leave Bangladesh.
“So, we need to give an institutional shape to our experience of the last five years.” He also suggested providing compensation to the victims as per the standards of the International Labour Organisation and introducing accidental insurance.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, also called for bringing the workers under insurance coverage to ensure life security of workers. He said in the last five years Bangladesh managed to bounce back from the image crisis brought on by the Rana Plaza collapse.