e_Paper 24-04-2017
DT 12 Editorial MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 TODAY Remember Rana Plaza all year round Despite the appallingly large scale of the Rana Plaza tragedy, the factors that created the conditions for it have not gone away PAGE 13 The revolutionary industry Most of us realised that our workers were the true partners in progress -- and we genuinely need to take care of our true partners PAGE 14 We are learning from our mistakes NASHIRUL ISLAM Stitched in woe Once again, the need for union is felt. But while local apathy is a reason, the blame also goes to foreign buyers, who persistently pressure to get products at a lower rate PAGE 15 Be heard Write to Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com www.dhakatribune.com Join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/ DhakaTribune. The views expressed in opinion articles are those of the authors alone and they are not the official view of Dhaka Tribune or its publisher. It has been four years since Rana Plaza collapsed, shaking the nation. But we haven’t forgotten. With more than 1,100 losing their lives to the incident, it remains one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history. As terrible as the aftermath of this incident was, what is important is that we focus on the future. The success story of our RMG sector is the epitome of Bangladeshi resilience: It shows that we have learned from our mistakes, and that we are doing everything in our power to ensure that we never let something like Rana Plaza happen again. Our RMG factories have greatly improved working conditions, and the industry itself continues to be a competitor in the world arena. The fact that our denim exports have surpassed China recently further shows how far we have come in the four years since that tragic day. However, as far as we have come, there is still a long way to go. Complaints and protests regarding workers’ wages remain a thorny issue, but is an issue that needs to be amicably resolved nonetheless. As RMG remains the highest contributor to the economy, the government needs to ensure that safety remains a priority and that inspections are carried out to guarantee the well-being of the workers. Various stake-holders also need to come together to provide workers with the wages they truly deserve, and remain competitive in the global market. And these won’t come about unless we work together. If the Rana Plaza collapse has shown us anything, it is that we as a nation can come together, and can survive the worst catastrophes. With that in mind, let’s conquer the future, as we have conquered in the past. If the Rana Plaza collapse has shown us anything, it is that we as a nation can come together, and can survive the worst catastrophes
Opinion 13 DT MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 Remember Rana Plaza all year round People all round the world can and should do more than simply wait for April 24 We tend to forget, but the victims and their families have to live with the aftermath every single day NASHIRUL ISLAM • Niaz Alam Each and every one of us who didn’t have a loved one killed or injured at Rana Plaza, or isn’t actually working every day in the garment sector, whether in Bangladesh or around the world, needs to do more. It is not good enough to wait till April 24 dawns to remember the dead. Families of the 1,135 people killed in the Rana Plaza tragedy on April 24, 2013, the thousands injured and their dependants, do not get to wait for the anniversary to be reminded of the day their lives were changed forever. The bereaved and the bereft do not get the luxury of choice. Why should we? We need to do more As citizens and consumers, people all round the world can and should do more than simply wait passively for April 24, because millions of RMG workers around the world, not just in Bangladesh, are still in need of solidarity to ensure their rights are upheld and their working conditions sustainably improved. Relying on annual words of remembrance is not enough. We need to remember Rana Plaza all year round to make sure the phrase is no longer just a slogan. Brands, buyers, factory owners, governments, auditors, unions, NGOs, BGMEA, BKMEA, and so on, all of them need to be kept on their toes. And the best way for this to happen is for more people to follow the issues for themselves and to take more action to support garment workers worldwide. Very little has changed Despite the appallingly large scale of the Rana Plaza tragedy -- and the correspondingly large scale of efforts to respond to the problems it highlighted -- the factors that created the conditions for it have not gone away. These factors have essentially created a paradigm in which globally profitable industries are unable or unwilling to ensure basic human rights and safety standards in their supply chains, and that paradigm has not changed. Not yet. At least for some time to come. In the meantime, four years after the appalling loss of life at Rana Plaza, the big questions for the RMG industry, both in Bangladesh and globally, remain much the same as this time last year. What has been learned? What is being done? And where are we going? As might be expected, the answers, too, have changed little from one year ago: • Safety is no longer an issue that can be ignored (but inspections alone are not enough to raise standards without finance to invest in improvements). • Compensation has been provided by some brands on a voluntary basis (but the amount of compensation to victims’ families is still pitiably small). • Criminal investigations are progressing. Slowly (but justice seems far away). • Stake-holder safety initiatives like Accord and Alliance have shown the value of co-operation (but without more long-term partnerships between buyers and factories, finance for Despite the appallingly large scale of the Rana Plaza tragedy -- and the correspondingly large scale of efforts to respond to the problems it highlighted –- the factors that created the conditions for it have not gone away improvements is still hard to come by). • Support from the Bangladesh government and those of other nations for RMG sector initiatives are improving (but on some issues, such as the tariffs imposed on Bangladeshi RMG exports by the US government, the playing field of the global marketplace remains far from fair). • Growing recognition of the value of improving workers’ rights by some factory owners and officials (but much continuing instinctive, legal, institutional, and industry association hostility to trade unions). • Bangladesh’s overall RMG exports are continuing to grow, and a growing number of more successful producers are investing in design, greening factories, and climbing the value chain (but will this be fast enough to make up for jobs lost elsewhere from competition and consolidation?). Let’s do our bit This is where we the people come in. Promoting the vision of a safe, sustainable, well-paid, and more productive garment industry in Bangladesh is an apt way to honour the memory of victims and show that we have learned the lessons from Rana Plaza. And plenty of industry insiders agree -- in principle. But if more customers and voters, in Bangladesh and around the world, do not demand this be so, it will not happen in practice. We must do more to keep the pressure up, not only on anniversaries, but all year round. And we can do that actively whenever we go shopping, invest in a business, speak to a politician, or write to the press. Do not let the dead and injured of Rana Plaza be victims in vain. • Niaz Alam is a member of the Editorial Board of Dhaka Tribune. A qualified lawyer, he has worked on corporate responsibility and ethical business issues since 1992. He sat on the Board of the London Pensions Fund Authority between 2001-2010 and is a former vice-chair of War on Want.
- Page 1 and 2: SECOND EDITION MONDAY, APRIL 24, 20
- Page 3 and 4: Workplace safety in govt-inspected
- Page 5 and 6: Mayors lock horns over coloured bus
- Page 7 and 8: Prof Rezaul’s colleagues, student
- Page 9 and 10: Furious Afghans call for resignatio
- Page 11: NBR: Upcoming budget to be investme
- Page 15 and 16: Stitched in woe Opinion 15 DT MONDA
- Page 17 and 18: What’s on 17 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 20
- Page 19 and 20: Sports 19 DT MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017
- Page 21 and 22: Sports 21 MONDAY, APRIL 24, 2017 DT
- Page 23 and 24: Aynabaji on TV Showtime 23 MONDAY,
DT<br />
12<br />
Editorial<br />
MONDAY, APRIL <strong>24</strong>, <strong>2017</strong><br />
TODAY<br />
Remember Rana<br />
Plaza all year round<br />
Despite the appallingly large scale of<br />
the Rana Plaza tragedy, the factors that<br />
created the conditions for it have not<br />
gone away<br />
PAGE 13<br />
The revolutionary<br />
industry<br />
Most of us realised that our workers were<br />
the true partners in progress -- and we<br />
genuinely need to take care of our true<br />
partners<br />
PAGE 14<br />
We are learning from our<br />
mistakes<br />
NASHIRUL ISLAM<br />
Stitched in woe<br />
Once again, the need for union is felt.<br />
But while local apathy is a reason, the<br />
blame also goes to foreign buyers, who<br />
persistently pressure to get products at a<br />
lower rate<br />
PAGE 15<br />
Be heard<br />
Write to Dhaka Tribune<br />
FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath,<br />
Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207<br />
Send us your Op-Ed articles:<br />
opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com<br />
www.dhakatribune.com<br />
Join our Facebook community:<br />
https://www.facebook.com/<br />
DhakaTribune.<br />
The views expressed in opinion<br />
articles are those of the authors<br />
alone and they are not the<br />
official view of Dhaka Tribune<br />
or its publisher.<br />
It has been four years since Rana Plaza collapsed, shaking the<br />
nation.<br />
But we haven’t forgotten.<br />
With more than 1,100 losing their lives to the incident, it<br />
remains one of the darkest chapters in our nation’s history.<br />
As terrible as the aftermath of this incident was, what is important<br />
is that we focus on the future.<br />
The success story of our RMG sector is the epitome of Bangladeshi<br />
resilience: It shows that we have learned from our mistakes, and that<br />
we are doing everything in our power to ensure that we never let<br />
something like Rana Plaza happen again.<br />
Our RMG factories have greatly improved working conditions, and<br />
the industry itself continues to be a competitor in the world arena.<br />
The fact that our denim exports have surpassed China recently<br />
further shows how far we have come in the four years since that<br />
tragic day.<br />
However, as far as we have come, there is still a long way to go.<br />
Complaints and protests regarding workers’ wages remain a thorny<br />
issue, but is an issue that needs to be amicably resolved nonetheless.<br />
As RMG remains the highest contributor to the economy, the<br />
government needs to ensure that safety remains a priority and<br />
that inspections are carried out to guarantee the well-being of the<br />
workers.<br />
Various stake-holders also need to come together to provide<br />
workers with the wages they truly deserve, and remain competitive<br />
in the global market.<br />
And these won’t come about unless we work together.<br />
If the Rana Plaza collapse has shown us anything, it is that we as a<br />
nation can come together, and can survive the worst catastrophes.<br />
With that in mind, let’s conquer the future, as we have conquered<br />
in the past.<br />
If the Rana Plaza<br />
collapse has shown<br />
us anything, it is that<br />
we as a nation can<br />
come together, and<br />
can survive the worst<br />
catastrophes
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