Today, we mourn the loss of over 1,100 workers in the Rana Plaza disaster in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 13 years ago - and remember the thousands more who were injured. On the morning of 24 April 2013, workers were forced to enter the eight-storey building despite their concerns over large cracks that had appeared in the walls the previous day. At 9am the entire building collapsed.
The world watched in horror as the death toll mounted – workers making clothes for global brands, killed in a disaster that should never have happened. We will never forget.
Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI Global Union, says:
“Today, we remember all those who were killed, and the many thousands whose lives were changed forever in the garment industry’s worst ever disaster. UNI and IndustriALL founded the Bangladesh Accord because we knew that voluntary commitments to factory safety were not enough. Binding agreements, with unions at the table, are what make workplaces safe. Thirteen years on, that remains as true as ever. As we prepare to negotiate a new Bangladesh Safety Agreement, and as we push to extend the International Accord to other countries, we carry with us the memory of Rana Plaza and the responsibility it places on all of us.”
Thirteen years on much has been achieved. The Bangladesh Accord – founded by UNI and IndustriALL in direct response to Rana Plaza – has driven safety improvements at more than 2,000 garment and textile factories in Bangladesh covering more than 2 million workers. It proved that binding, enforceable agreements between brands and trade unions can save lives. That model was the foundation for the International Accord, which has since extended its reach to Pakistan, and which we are determined to expand to other countries.
uniglobalunion.org/news/rana…