Press reports on the dialogue “Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: An Update on Commitments and Delivery” held at the BRAC Centre Inn on Sunday, 26 January 2014. The dialogue was the sixth follow-up activity of “Post-Rana Plaza Monitoring” a civil society initiative led by CPD, in partnership with a number of civil society organisations and individuals in Bangladesh.
For all press reports published on Monday, 27 January 2014, click here [pdf ~5.37 MB]
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Op-Ed published on the topic
Published in The Daily Star
Rana Plaza Compensation
Yawning gap between pledges and delivery
9 months on, many victims still deprived
Staff Correspondent
Many Rana Plaza victims are yet to receive the promised compensation from the government and Western retailers, nine months after the nation’s worst industrial disaster.
To date, families of 777 of the 1,135 dead workers have received Tk 1-5 lakh each from the Prime Minister’s Fund, while the compensation was “very insignificant” for most of the 1,800 injured workers, according to an analysis of the Centre for Policy Dialogue.
“A number of victims who were interviewed have not yet received any of their financial dues,” said KG Moazzem, additional research director of CPD, who led the team of researchers for the project.
In August last year, the CPD in partnership with 14 rights organisations, professional bodies and media outlets launched a civil society initiative to monitor the progress of the commitments made by the local and international organisations.
The think-tank yesterday organised a dialogue titled Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: An Update on Commitments and Delivery, at the Brac Centre Inn in Dhaka to present the latest developments.
More than Tk 100 crore has been put into the Prime Minister’s Fund, but only Tk 18.85 crore has been spent so far, Moazzem said.
The government pledged long-term support of Tk 10-15 lakh for the seriously injured, but only 40 have received the payment so far.
On reemployment and training of workers and their able-bodied family members, Moazzem said there had been slow progress in the initiatives jointly undertaken by the government and local and international organisations.
About the government’s pledge to ensure reemployment of 100 workers in the leather industry, he said only 32 of them were to take training for the job.
Of the 100 jobs promised by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), 70 Rana Plaza victims have been recruited at member factories in Savar.
Two initiatives at local and global levels to provide compensation are halfway, as both are facing complexities over participation by retailers and suppliers, legal issues, methods for estimating the compensation, collection of funds and its disbursement.
“Since the workers and their families are in distress, the discussion on compensation should be completed immediately,” Moazzem said.
At the dialogue, MM Akash, a professor of economics at Dhaka University and also a member of the committee responsible for setting compensation packages for the victims, said the 31-member committee has fixed Tk 14.51 lakh as compensation for the dead workers’ families or those permanently disabled.
The amount will be Tk 7.5 lakh for workers who have lost one limb, Tk 4.5 lakh for workers who will be unable to work for a long period and Tk 1.5 lakh for workers suffering mental trauma.
He, however, said the committee, which was formed following a High Court order, could not come up with a package for the rescuers who have been injured. “But if they have suffered the same level of injury as the workers, they will fall in the same category.”
Hamida Hossain, chairman of Ain o Salish Kendra, criticised the compensation-fixing committee for slashing the amount by 25 percent to Tk 15 lakh from an initial Tk 20 lakh.
She said the direct dependants of the victims should get the compensation as the existing Inheritance Law might see the assistance end up in the hands of the victims’ parents.
Mohammad Hatem, acting president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the Tk 15 lakh as compensation should be a “one-off incident” and not be made the norm for compensation in case of future disasters.
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan said the 40 lakh garment workers were vital to the country’s economy. “So, this is a concern for all in Bangladesh, as our bread and butter depend on them.”
Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of the CPD, said the questions of transparency, accountability and free flow of information would come back again and again. “Ultimately, the government will have to take the final responsibility.”
“Is there any website which can inform us who have donated how much to the fund and who have received from the fund and how much? If we have regular flow of information, there will be less confusion and finger-pointing and it will be clear to us where we will have to take a position.”
Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, called for ensuring transparency in handing out compensation. She said there should be proactive disclosure under the Right to Information Act about the Prime Minister’s Fund.
Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar, however, said the government was very open and transparent about its work. “It cannot be said that there is no improvement — there have been some. And we will need more time.”
He said he would look into the matter as some people were claiming to have not received anything.
Shipar said although a trust fund of $40 million was said to have been formed by four retailers, the government was yet to receive a single taka from it.
Atiqul Islam, president of BGMEA, said the garment factories were improving their workplace conditions, but they were yet to receive any financial assistance from abroad although “promises were abundant”.
At the discussion, some injured workers spoke of their current situation.
Mariam Begum, who has lost her right hand, said she had received Tk 12 lakh from the government. “But I cannot use the artificial hand as it is too heavy. As a result, I can’t do any work.”
Shumita, who was rescued five days after the building caved in, suffered injuries to her right hand and back, leaving her too weak to be able to work. She said she had received Tk 60,000 from an international buyer and was struggling to run her family of three.
Mukul Begum, whose husband Mozammel Hossain died during the building collapse, said she was finding it impossible to run the family and bear the educational expenses of her daughter, who is currently studying in Class VII.
Khoaz Ali, who worked for 22 days as a volunteer rescuer, said many civilian rescuers were struggling to return to normal life following their first-hand experience at the disaster site. “But we have not received any help.”
Published in The Daily Star Business
RMG sector needs broad reforms to ride out crisis
Analysts show ways to improve factory standards
Star Business Report
Bangladesh should prepare a national restructuring plan for the garment sector for the next five to 10 years to help the industry ride out its current crisis and reap potential, the Centre for Policy Dialogue said yesterday.
“Many talk about the McKinsey Report and the potential of garment exports, but we do not see measures to exploit the potential,” said Debapriya Bhattacharya, distinguished fellow of the CPD.
“At the end of the day, the garment industry is an international sector. We don’t have an alternative to making a comprehensive plan to restructure the sector and move forward.”
He spoke at a dialogue, Rana Plaza tragedy and beyond: an update on commitments and delivery, at Brac Centre Inn in Dhaka.
In August last year, the think-tank launched a civil society initiative, in partnership with 15 rights organisations, professional bodies and media organisations, to monitor commitments and implementation of promises made by local and international organisations following the disaster.
Bhattacharya said the building collapse has created a sort of opportunity, which has raised awareness but actions are not forthcoming.
It would not be possible to change the fate of the workers just by changing the domestic conditions, he added.
“The major portion of the profit of the garment supply chain exists outside the country. It is not possible to do everything by squeezing the 20 percent that remains in the country.”
Bangladesh would have to bring some money from the international arena through bargains, which have to be ensured while fixing the prices.
If we play blame-game and trickery then we will be weaker,” he said.
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan said the sector is part of a global process so the international stakeholders have some responsibilities.
“This incident is something we should not tolerate as a civilised society.”
M Syeduzzaman, a former finance minister, suggested the government form a separate apparel and textile ministry to look after the sector.
Ali Ahmed Khan, director general of Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, said many problems of the sector would go once the National Action Plan is implemented.
He said his agency is working on setting up more fire stations. “We are also creating volunteers at industrial zones. It will be helpful if BGMEA supplies some workers who will also work as volunteers.”
Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar said the government has already finalised a site in Gazipur for the garment industries.
He also said 30 teams are working under the supervision of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology to complete the initial survey of 1,500 garment factories in association with the International Labour Organisation.
He said the Department of Inspection for Factories, which was set up in the 1970s for inspecting Adamjee Jute Mills and some other factories, could not keep pace with the changes in the country’s industrial arena since 1980.
The secretary said the government is appointing more inspectors as about 50 percent of the posts of factory inspectors were vacant. “Already 57 inspectors have been appointed. They also have been given training.”
Hamida Hossain, chairman of Ain O Shalish Kendra, said trade unions and workers should be included in the factory inspection process as they know better about the working conditions and labour standards of the factory they work for.
Mohammad Hatem, acting president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said the reality of Bangladesh would have to be taken into consideration before setting any safety standards for the garment industry.
Zafrul Hasan, joint secretary general of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said the burial of unidentified bodies manifests the country’s administrative inefficiency.
Architect Iqbal Habib said a website should be built with details of the victims, the injured and the rescuers.
Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said 70 trade unions have been registered since the passage of the new labour law in July last year.
He vented anger against the third party auditors in the factory inspection process. “They are demanding more stringent labour standards than required.”
Islam also said owners are improving factory conditions but they are yet to receive any financial assistance from abroad although promises were abundant.
Shariful Islam Mohiuddin, a former president of the BGMEA, said there are 800 factories that are not registered with BGMEA or BKMEA. “Who will take their responsibility if any disaster strikes those factories?”
Rob Wayss, country executive director of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, said 146 brands and retailers from Europe, the US, Canada, Australia and Japan have joined the initiative.
Under the Accord, 10 factories were inspected at the end of last year, he said.
Wayss said the Accord plans to roll out large-scale inspections with the help of 25 engineers to be appointed soon.
“We are also working to establish communication with the suppliers, brands and retailers so everybody understands their role, particularly in the monitoring component,” he said. Babul Akter, president of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, said compensation should be realised from the owners of the Rana Plaza building and the factories that were housed in the building.
He also said many injured victims do not want to work in the garment industry. “We should think about alternative jobs for them.”
Transparency International Bangladesh, Manusher Jonno Foundation, the Prothom Alo and The Daily Star are among the partners of the initiative.
Mustafizur Rahman, executive director of the CPD, moderated the dialogue.
Published in New Age
RANA PLAZA COLLAPSE
Commitments to victims mostly remain unfulfilled: CPD dialogue
Staff Correspondent
Most of the commitments made by the government and trade bodies after the Rana Plaza collapse about compensation and rehabilitation of the victims remained unfulfilled, said speakers in a dialogue in the city on Sunday.
In the dialogue on ‘Rana Plaza tragedy and beyond: an update on commitments and delivery’ organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue, they demanded a comprehensive and transparent list of the dead, injured and missing workers in the worst industrial disaster in the country’s history and discloser of the disbursement of compensation from the prime minister’s fund.
‘The confusion over the list of deceased, injured and missing workers will have to be allayed and the national tripartite committee could initiate a move to prepare a complete list which is essential for meeting the commitments,’ Khandakar Golam Moazzem additional research secretary of CPD, said in his key note paper.
He said that the injured and families of the dead whose bodies had been identified, could rightfully claim the compensation but the relatives of the missing workers had been completely deprived of any such benefits.
Workers and their families are in distress and so the issue of the compensation should be settled immediately, Moazzem said.
He also said that the discussion with the buyers to provide compensation did not make much progress and most of the North American buyers were unwilling to provide compensation.
Zafrul Hasan, joint secretary general of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies, said that a number of factory disasters had taken place in the garment sector in last few years due to lack of preventive measures.
It has been proved that we have hardly taken a lesson from the incidents. It is unfortunate that a transparent and complete list of the victims or any other information on the Rana Plaza disaster is yet to be available, he said.
In the cases of the deceased workers, Zafrul advised CPD to work on resolving the issue of succession which, he said, would a major challenge in distributing compensation.
Mukul Begum, widow of Mozammel Hossain, who was killed in the Rana Plaza collapse, said that she had received only Tk 20,000 for her husband’s burial.
‘I heard that the families of the deceased workers received Tk 1 lakh to 3 lakh each from the prime minister’s fund but I have not received any such assistance,’ she said.
Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said that they were committed to ensure re-employment of the workers of the five garment factories Rana Plaza had housed.
He said that the BGMEA would bear the expenses of 300 orphans up to 18 years of age but most of the relatives of the orphans were not showing their willingness to send the children to the shelter home.
Labour secretary Mikail Shipar said that the government had made significant progress in some areas, particularly amendment of labour law, adopting common checklist for factory inspection and fire and structural safety inspection in the RMG factories.
‘We want to address all the issues which arose after the Rana Plaza disaster and the issues like compensation and rehabilitation, which made little progress in the nine months after the tragedy, would be addressed in the shortest possible time.’
CPD chairman Rehman Sobhan said the RMG sector was part of a global business so the international stakeholders had a responsibility. He said initiatives must be taken to ensure that such disasters did not recur,’ Rehman said.
He said such incidents could not be accepted in a civilised society. Besides, these workers should not be treated only as subjects of news stories and we have to take care so they can integrate into the society, he added.
CPD fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya said, ‘A positive restructuring is required to turn the country’s garment industry into a second generation business.’
Published in The Financial Express
Social, financial commitments to Rana Plaza victims unfulfilled
CPD dialogue seeks info on compensation money
Most of the social and financial commitments regarding the Rana Plaza tragedy have remained unfulfilled even nine months after the deadliest incident, speakers at a dialogue in the city said Sunday.
They also found lack of transparency, accountability and absence of a complete list of the victims including the dead, the injured and the unidentified.
The discussants recommended a number of steps including preparing a complete list of the victims, a central mechanism of collecting compensation fund and its proper distribution, long-term treatment of the injured, availability of information and proper implementation of the pledges by the Bangladesh government, the Accord and the Alliance.
They also suggested co-ordination, transparency and accountability regarding the promises made towards fund collection and compensation disbursement for workers’ treatment and rehabilitation.
The observations and recommendations came at a dialogue organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) on ‘Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: A Follow- up on Commitments and Delivery’.
Professor Mustafizur Rahman, Executive Director of the CPD moderated the floor discussion at the dialogue chaired by Professor Rehman Sobhan while Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar was present as chief guest.
Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, Additional Research Director of the CPD presented his keynote of the ‘second independent monitoring report’ while Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Distinguished Fellow of the CPD, BGMEA president Md Atiqul Islam and Joint Secretary General, the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) Zafrul Hasan spoke among others.
CPD Chairman Rehman Sobhan said four million people of the garment sector are central to the country’s economic system. “So, this is a concern for all in Bangladesh, as our bread and butter depend on them.” He said the sector is a part of the global process. So the international stakeholders have a responsibility.
He said the partners of the initiative (the report) are not in a position to solve the problems. “The initiatives have been taken to make sure that the disaster does not recur and does not disappear from the public memory.”
The government will find it helpful and can take action and look at the long-term nature of the problems, Prof Rehman Sobhan said. “This incident is something we
should not tolerate as a civilised society. Besides, these workers cannot be treated as a news item and we have to work for their integration into the society”, he added.
During the discussion, a number of victims of the tragedy and a rescue worker brought to the fore the impact of the building collapse on them. The workers shared to what extent they were compensated and rehabilitated. They sought speedy fulfillment of unmet promises for all of their co-workers.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem in his presentation said seven steps have been taken and five are about to be completed, out of 25 initiatives spelt out in the national action plan on fire and building safety after the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza incidents. There is no move to fulfill the rest 12 initiatives, he regretted.
There are significant efforts towards the betterment of the affected workers from different quarters, including government and RMG owners. But the second CPD monitoring report has particularly found proper identification of victims and the status of compensation delivery for the affected and their dependants not up to the expectations.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said the RMG sector’s achievement in the last four decades will be at risk if transparency and accountability are not ensured in addressing the issues of compensation, rehabilitation and adequate medical attention towards the affected workers.
He also called for disclosure of information regarding the Prime Minister’s fund including info on who gave how much money, recipients of financial supports and what the distributed amount is.
“Opportunity has been created after the disasters but the question lies who will make use of the advantages and to what extent,” he said. The Accord and the Alliance also should have accountability along with the Bangladeshi initiatives in terms of compensation and other safety programmes, he demanded.
Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya said it is time to negotiate internationally and take long-term effective plans paving the way for the second generation business in the sector.
Mr Mikail Shipar defended many initiatives taken after the Rana Plaza incident and mentioned about progress in this regard.
“It can’t be said that there is no progress. There is and it will also continue,” he said. The government has a plan to explain its activities on the anniversary of the incident where all the stakeholders including representatives of the EU, the US, the ILO and donor agencies are expected to attend, he disclosed.
BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said the Association is involved in many initiatives, including treatment of the injured, provision of financial support to the victim families and taking responsibility of the orphans till they reach the age 18. There are lots of commitments by the Accord and the Alliance, especially the fund regarding the factory safety, he said. “But, we are yet to have a single penny.”
Speakers demanded amendment of the law regarding compensation with clear definition, financial support for the rescuers, compensation for all the victims especially the missing and unidentified workers who are yet to get any financial support, national unified arrangement to look after the RMG sector, change in mindset of owners in ensuring workers’ rights and good relations between the workers and owners.
Published in Dhaka Tribune
RANA PLAZA VICTIMS
CPD: Lack of concrete data affects humanitarian aid
Muktasree Chakma Sathi
The research was prepared by the CPD researchers K G Moazzem, Adiba Afros and Farzana Sehrin
Lack of an accurate data on Rana Plaza victims is one of the main reasons why many of the family members of them are still deprived of adequate financial support, the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) researchers said yesterday.
They also pointed out that such lack of concrete data and coordination also affected the commitments given to the survivors and family members of the victims by the government and different organisation.
They made the observations in a dialogue titled “Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: An update on commitments and delivery” organised by the CPD in the BRAC Centre Inn auditorium in the city.
Mukul Begum who lost her husband Mozammel Hossain, a worker of Rana Plaza addressing the dialogue said she had received only her husband’s salary of TK20, 000 after the disaster.
Rathindra Dash who is yet to receive his daughter Nirmala’s body said he only received TK30, 000 through bKash donated by an Irish clothing retailer.
Maryam Begum whose right hand was amputated, however, said she had received more than TK12lakh after the building collapse.
If information sharing between different stakeholders had happened along with a concrete data on the victims it would have been easier to disburse monetary help to the victims, speakers pointed out.
CPD researchers said different organisations came up with different data.
The research was prepared by the CPD researchers K G Moazzem, Adiba Afros and Farzana Sehrin.
According to the findings, MoLE, BGMEA and Action Aid named 3572 victims while the CPD, Bangladesh Institutes of Labour Studies (BILS) and Primark [an Irish clothing retailer] respectively mentioned the number as 3670, 3948 and 3621.
All these organisations, however, put the figure of victims, who were buried unidentified but their identities were unearthed later, at 157.
Speaking on the occasion noted economist Rehman Sobhan said an integrated drive was needed to ensure the compensation to the victims and to improve the safety standard in the apparel industry.
“Commendable steps were taken by the government and other quarters responding to the situation in the aftermath of the collapse of the Rana Plaza.
“It was a great disaster. But it was also proven that the sector had the capacity to turn around,”Rehman Sobhan, also the chair of the CPD noted.
Stressing the pressure from international buyers and labour organisations to improve the security standard in factories, BGMEA President Md Atiqul Islam said: “Given the reality it is not possible to meet the criteria proposed by them(buyer and international organisations). Now if the Alliance and Accord tell us to close our factories after inspection all factories have to be shut down.”
The Alliance, a group and the Accord, a legally binding agreement were founded recently mainly to ensure workers’ safety in Bangladesh. It includes independent safety inspections at factories and public reporting of the results of these inspections.
“This is a country where people do not even follow the simple traffic laws. This is the reality here. I admit we need to improve our safety measurements but despite many limitations and international pressure we have to run our readymade garment factories for the sake of the livelihood of labourers and entrepreneurs and national economy as well,” Atiqul added.
Referring to Atiqul’s comment, labour Leader Nazma Akter said if the garment factories are closed it is the workers who have to suffer ultimately as they will lose their jobs.
“Improve the working condition gradually, we [labourers] will be with you [garments owner]but you have to convince us first that you are empathetic with us,” she added.
Distinguished Fellow of the CPD Debapriya Bhattacharya said through this disaster a national unity was formed. People from every sphere helped each other to turn back.
“Mutual accountability was created. All we need is now to utilise such opportunity to bring change in a good way.”
Published in Daily Sun
Rana Plaza Victims Uncared for
Less done than promised
Staff Correspondent
Less has been done for Rana Plaza collapse victims compared to the flurry of commitments made by the government as well as the entrepreneurs immediately after the mayhem, observed professionals at a discussion yesterday.
They said the family members of the victim are passing through a very tough time as the internal and external compensation commitments were yet to be fulfilled.
Private think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) organised the discussion titled: ‘Rana Plaza Accident and Following Steps: Latest State of Commitments and Realisation’ at BRAC Centre Inn in the capital.
Speakers said the real number of the victims still remained unknown, orphan children did not receive proper help and the people maimed by the disaster could return to their work, even though they have been provided with artificial limbs.
However, they said streamlining of stray initiatives and making those transparent could prove to be effective.
They urged the government for publishing the list of the really affected people so that proper steps could be taken to this end.
Chaired by CPD’s Chairman Prof Rehman Sobhan, the event was attended by Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar as the chief guest.
Distinguished Fellow of CPD Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam, Dhaka University teacher MM Akash, and labour leader Nazma Akter, among others, spoke on the occasion, moderated by Mostafizur Rahman, Executive Director of the CPD.
Additional research director of CPD Dr Khondokar Golam Moazzem presented the keynote paper at the event.
He said the government had set 25 targets under a national action plan undertaken following the Tazreen and Rana Plaza accidents to ensure fire and building safety in the garment factories.
Of the targets, only seven have so far been achieved, while five are on the track and no steps were taken for the rest 12 targets, he added.
In his speech, BGMEA president mentioned greater oversight from the buyers following the disaster and this could put the local RMG sector at stake.
He also smells dirty ‘politics’ about the Bangladeshi apparel sector, on which the labour leaders differed, saying that buyers’ greater oversight, on the contrary bring good for the industry.
Labour Secretary said the process is on to appoint factory inspectors. Besides this, a project has been undertaken to inspect some 1,500 RMG factories which are outside the alliance.
Mentioning a number of steps that have been taken following the accidents, he said the government measures, sometimes, take some time as it has to follow the rules and regulations.
He informed that a total of 777 families of the victims have been given financial assistance from the Prime Minister’s fund and more 136 or 138 would be supported following the DNA test.
Published in The Independent
Survivors suffer as ‘fund lies idle’
UNB
The workers who suffered serious injuries as well as the relatives of many deceased or ‘missing’ workers are living a miserable life though the charity fund at the Prime Minister’ s Office is laying idle, observed speakers at a dialogue here yesterday, reports UNB. They urged the government for preparing a full list of the dead, injured and missing workers, and for quick and transparent steps to disburse the appropriate compensation to the victims and the relatives. The dialogue was organised by leading think thank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at Brac Centre Inn. The draft of a CPD report, titled ‘Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: An Update on Commitment and Delivery’, was also placed before different stakeholders of the readymade garment sector (RMG) present at the dialogue.
In his keynote presentation, CPD additional research director KG Moazzem showed although over Tk 100 crore has so far been collected at the PMO Fund, only Tk 18,85,60,720 has been spent.
No proper compensation or longer term aid was provided to most of the victims and the relatives, he said, adding that the number of severely injured workers has varied widely – between 500 as stated by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and 850 as stated by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). Only 40 workers received long term support – amounting Tk 10-15 lakh each – from the PMO, he added.
Moazzem also noted that initiatives for the compensation by foreign retailers and buyers are ‘halfway in progress’ duo to several uncertainties, including participation by retailers and suppliers, methods estimating the compensation and collection of funds. The amount so far pledged by the foreign buyers and suppliers stands at about Tk 580 crore, which is only 50 per cent of the amount required to disburse the proper compensation to all the affected, he added.
“The affected people need the money urgently for their treatment and rehabilitation, and we need an urgent resolution over the uncertainty about the disbursement of the funds. A detailed list of the affected must be prepared by the government,” he recommended. Moazzem said, “The injured and the families of the identified dead bodies have somewhat of a basis to recover their rightful benefits, whereas the relatives of those missing have been completely deprived of any such provision.”
CPD distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya said, “The issue of the ‘missing’ workers is still covered with mist. It’s important to make it transparent.” CPD is keenly watching the compensation of workers and the remedial measures taken by the government and the factory owners. “We must remind Accord and Alliances (two fora created by buyers and retailers to support the compensation and remediation) we won’t simply be a spectator to their moves,” he said.