Friends Fiduciary Call To Action In Garment-Worker Safety

May 26, 2015

Friends Fiduciary Corporation (FFC) is part of an Interfaith Coalition on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR) effort calling for improved safety standards for garment factories in Bangladesh. Two years ago, the Rana Plaza building outside Dhaka, Bangladesh collapsed, killing more than 1,100 garment workers. The event is considered one of the worst workplace disasters in history. In response, corporations and workers created the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety and the Bangladesh Accord for Building Safety. More than 200 companies, sourcing from 1,600 factories, have signed the Accord. In order to address issues such as sprinklers and construction defects, factories will need to secure appropriate financing and make agreements with suppliers. Clothing brands will need to ensure that their suppliers obtain resources to do so, through the use of loans, pre-payment for orders, business incentives, or other means. The investor coalition is asking companies to disclose the results of inspections and fully address defects that are revealed. FFC and the ICCR have further asked that companies disclose progress on establishing worker/management Occupational Safety and Health committees, with workers electing representatives to the committees. Bangladeshi labor laws now require companies to establish these committees. The committees can build capacity to detect and remediate safety issues before they cause further harm to workers. Clothing brands must communicate their support for these committees to suppliers to ensure this key component of remediation is operational. In order to implement the safety infrastructure requirements to avoid future disasters the investor coalition is calling for greater transparency in the remediation efforts and the funding available to make the necessary changes. The coalition is also asking companies which source clothing made in Bangladesh to donate to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund in order to allow the fund to provide relief to workers and their families affected by the disaster. To view the letters,click here.