Disasters caused by chemicals stored in densely populated areas have shaken Bangladesh in the past one and a half decades
German MPs shame uncaring European buyers, RMG owners, Bangladesh govt
Some German MPs maintain that everyone from international companies to the Bangladesh government shares the “shame” for failing to pay proper compensation and enforce building code even after one and a half years of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
Published : 21 Oct 2014, 12:59 PM
Updated : 21 Oct 2014, 12:59 PM
The parliamentary delegation visited Dhaka said it was a “shame” that the European companies did not pay their promised compensation while no one took the responsibility of the building collapse site to make it “a decent place”.
The German parliamentarians made the comment a day after the EU’s statement that Bangladesh had made “encouraging progress” on post-Rana Plaza factory safety and labour rights issues.
File Photo
But the EU commissioner on labour issues during the review of the ‘Sustainability Compact’, which it rolled out after the Rana Palza collapse to overhaul the country’s largest export industry, at Brussels on Monday said that more needed to be done.
He drew attention, in particular, to guarantees for workers’ freedom of association, and for forming trade unions.
“It’s a shame that there is no memorial built on the Rana Plaza collapse site even after one and a half years,” Dr Sascha Raabe, one of the three visiting MPs, said on Tuesday before leaving Dhaka.
During their one and a half days’ tour, the MPs from the Social Democratic Party, which mostly focuses on trade and labour issues, spoke to the victims, workers, some factory owners and BGMEA leaders.
“I heard that all dead corpses were not dug up,” he said.
“It’s a shame for everybody, international companies, and government also have to take the responsibility on their shoulders.
“If the government controlled the building regulations, the collapse would have not happened,” he said.
The worst-ever building collapse in April last year killed more than 1,100 factory workers and injured many, evoking a worldwide concern.
The EU is the largest market of Bangladesh’s exports where all products enjoy duty-free market access.
Within the EU, Germany is the biggest market for Bangladesh.
Raabe, who is also the member of parliament committee on development aid, said they came to see the building collapse site and talk to the victims as part of their “responsibility”, not to express only “empathy”.
“We came here because we feel big responsibility for the workers who are producing clothes which we have daily on our skin,” he said.
His two other colleagues Wolfgang Tiefensee and Burckhard Lischka were also with him when he mostly briefed about their visit during an interaction with journalists at a hotel.
“This is the time for our visit when international camera is not anymore here,” he said referring to the global media attention after the collapse.
They talked to the victims at the rehabilitation centre in Savar and said the victims told them that “they have not been compensated in the way it has been committed”.
“It’s shameful for all companies in the EU who signed to pay in the compensation,” he said.
“…that’s a clear message we take home and all three of us we will put pressure on all big companies who did not pay yet,” he said.
Raabe said the compensation that companies offered was “not really a lot”.
He said € 500 or € 1000 might sound a big amount, but given the victim’s sufferings it was not really a big compensation.
“Even then they (victims) are not fully paid,” he bemoaned.
The German MP said during their interactions they learnt that there was no factory building built adhering to the government’s building code.
“The government has to deal it. It’s a big challenge,” he said.
The MPs also lamented that the workers’ right to form trade union had not been established yet.
“Here we see only less than 5 percent workers organised under unions, even those who organised don’t have the right as per ILO standards,” Raabe said.
“There is a great deal to be done to improve union rights.”
As factory owners demand increased prices for their clothes from the buyers, the MPs said they also agree with them, if it is ensured that a share of that increased amount goes to the workers.
But they had their “doubt” about that.
Only one or two percent of the earnings owners get selling clothes to Germany went to the workers now, Raabe said.
“(German) people would agree to pay more for a shirt if only you can make sure that the raised price is fairly distributed and this goes to the workers, not the owners to increase their profit.”
“If it (increase price) only goes to the owners, then people will not be willing to pay that.”
He, however, said this was something the trade unions could ensure, given they enjoyed proper rights.
“So there is need of trade union. The task of the government is to make sure that they are free to work and form trade union.
“A strong union can only make sure that the fair distribution is secured. This is the key link between unions in Bangladesh and willingness of Germany to pay more ( for buying clothes).
“But the reality is the opposite,” he said.
The delegation left Dhaka for Vietnam where they will also see the factory conditions.
“We are not only focusing on Bangladesh, we are focusing on all with whom we have trade relations. We want everyone to be equal and fair,” he said.
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