International Health and Safety Accord

Remembering the Rana Plaza tragedy and supporting workers' rights during the Pandemic

Apr 24, 2020 —

Image: Clean Clothes Campaign

Today, on the seventh anniversary of the devastating collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Dhaka, Bangladesh, MSN joins with the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) global network in remembering the 1,134 garment workers who were killed and all their family members and others affected by this preventable tragedy.

Labour rights groups demand brand accountability for deadly factory fire in India

Feb 21, 2020 —

Photo: CCC

On February 8, a fire broke out in the Nandan Denim factory in Ahmedabad, India. Severe security defects left workers scrambling to escape through the only available exit, a ladder leading to the outside, once again drawing attention to serious fire and safety concerns of Indian garment industry.

Labour organizations are calling for compensation for the families of the killed workers and workers in terms of income loss and medical costs, which is a stipulation of ILO Convention 121 on employment injury benefits.

Bangladesh: Struggle for Living Wage and Anti-Union Repression

Feb 15, 2020 —

Photo: Clean Clothes Campaign

Workers’ fight for decent wages has been ongoing in Bangladesh, as has government repression whenever workers organize to achieve improved wages and working conditions.

In December 2016, worker protests for decent wages were met with violent crackdowns by national and industrial police forces. Despite the repression, workers have continued to mobilize and lobby industry and government for substantial increases to the country’s minimum wage.

New report calls for legally binding safety accord in Pakistan

Sep 13, 2019 —

Photo: IndustriALL

On September 11, 2012, a fire ripped through the Ali Enterprises garment factory in Karachi, Pakistan, killing more than 250 workers, who were unable to escape the building because the exit doors were locked and windows barred. A new report released on the 7th anniversary of the fire warns that garment factories in Pakistan remain just as unsafe today as they were then.

The Bangladesh Accord continues to operate but its independence may be at risk

Jun 13, 2019 —

Photo: Kristof Vadino

By Clean Clothes Campaign, International Labor Rights Forum, Maquila Solidarity Network, and Worker Rights Consortium

As witness signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, we are concerned about the potential negative impact on worker safety, both short-term and long-term, of the recently concluded Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Accord and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the diverging interpretations that have emerged over the last few weeks.[1]

Questions raised about agreement on Bangladesh Accord

May 19, 2019 —

On May 19, 2019, the Appellate Court of the Bangladesh High Court accepted a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) reached earlier this month between the Bangladesh Accord Steering Committee and the Bangladesh employers’ association in the ready-made garment sector, BGMEA. The MoU stipulates that the Accord will continue to operate in Bangladesh for a transition period of 281 working days, during which time brands, unions and the BGMEA will establish a new institution called the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC), which will take over the Accord’s tasks in 2020.

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