FFC Signs ICCR Bangladesh Investor Statement

A year has passed since the Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh claimed 1,138 lives and threatened the livelihood of the victims’ families. In a May 2013 ICCR Statement, FFC urged clothing brands and retailers to join the The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety (‘the Accord’). FFC also urged these companies  to strengthen local trade unions and ensure living wages, disclose all supplier factories and their programs, and establish grievance mechanisms and effective remedies, including victim compensation. Over the past year, 160 companies have joined the Accord, and we’ve witnessed collaboration in the creation of the National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity as well as in the adaptation of common inspection standards. The Bangladeshi government has also improved the trade union registration process, with 127 new unions registered since the beginning of 2013. FFC acknowledges the progress that has been made by multiple stakeholders. In signing this Investor Statement, FFC advocates for greater and faster progress in the following areas: full remediation upon conducted inspections, improved coordination between the Accord and the Alliance (for Worker Safety), expeditious formation of democratically based worker/management health and safety committees, and a commitment to transparency at all stages. FFC additionally calls for broad-scale commitments to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund; less than a fifth of what is needed to meet families’ needs has been pledged or collected. ICCR statement on the anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, April 24th.