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Subscribe to RSSThousands of textile workers gathered in Bangladesh in protest factory conditions following a massive fire that killed 112 people. NBCNews.com's Dara Brown reports.
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Thousands of Bangladeshi workers blocked the streets of a Dhaka suburb Monday, throwing stones at factories and smashing vehicles, as they demanded justice for at least 112 people killed in a garment-factory fire that highlighted unsafe conditions in an industry rushing to produce for major retailers around the world.
Another fire broke out in a multi-story garment factory in a Dhaka suburb on Monday, but a fire department official said the blaze was under control and there were no immediate reports that anyone had died in the latest blaze.
Some 200 factories were closed for the day after the protest erupted in Savar, the industrial zone where Saturday's deadly fire occurred. Protesters blocked a major highway.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
Workers shout slogans Monday as they protest against the death of their colleagues after a weekend fire in a garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh, killed more than 100 people.
The government announced that Tuesday will be a day of national mourning, with the national flag flying at half-mast in honor of the dead.
Fire official: No emergency exit
Investigators suspect that a short circuit caused the fire, said Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director. But he said it was not the fire itself but the lack of safety measures in the eight-story building that made it so deadly.
Fire sweeps clothing factory in Bangladesh -- more than 100 killed
"Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," Mahbub said.
He said firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory, and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape the fire.
Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed.
"I haven't been able to find my mother," one worker, who gave her name as Shahida, told Reuters. "I demand justice. I demand that the owner be arrested."
Mohammad Ripu, a survivor, said Monday that he tried to run out of the building when the fire alarm rang but was stopped.
"Managers told us, 'Nothing happened. The fire alarm had just gone out of order. Go back to work,'" Ripu said. "But we quickly understood that there was a fire. As we again ran for the exit point we found it locked from outside, and it was too late."
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Ripu said he jumped from a second-floor window and suffered minor injuries.
Mahbub said the fire broke out on the ground floor, which was used as a warehouse, and spread quickly to the upper floors. He said many workers who retreated to the roof were rescued, but dozens of others were trapped; firefighters recovered 69 bodies from the second floor alone.
A fire blew through an eight-story clothing factory in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh on Saturday night. The factory made products for Walmart and other U.S. companies. NBC's Kate Snow has more.
Many victims were burned beyond recognition. The bodies were laid out in rows at a school nearby. Many of them were handed over to families; unclaimed victims were taken to Dhaka Medical College for identification.
More news from South & Central Asia on NBCNews.com
Hazardous conditions are widespread
The garment-factory fire was Bangladesh's deadliest in recent memory, but such dangers have long been a fact of life as the industry has mushroomed to meet demand from major retailers around the world.
At least 500 people have died in clothing factory accidents in Bangladesh since 2006, according to fire department officials.
The Savar factory is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group. Neither Tazreen nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for comment.
The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients include Wal-Mart, Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website.
Andrew Biraj / Reuters
A firefighter inspects a garment factory in Savar, Bangladesh, on Sunday after a fire caused more than 100 deaths there a day earlier.
Bangladesh has some 4,000 garment factories, many without proper safety measures. The country annually earns about $20 billion from exports of garment products, mainly to the United States and Europe.
Complete World coverage on NBCNews.com
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said it would stand by the victims' families and offered $1,250 to each of the families of the dead. The association's acting president, Siddiqur Rahman, said on a talk show late Sunday that Tazreen's owner was to meet with group representatives on Monday.
"We will discuss what other things we can do for the families of the dead," Rahman said on Rtv, a private television station. "We are worried about what has happened. We hope to discuss everything in detail in that meeting."
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
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- More than 100 killed in Bangladesh factory fire
- Drug gang bust in Honduras nets $100M assets
- Irish editor who published pics of naked Kate Middleton resigns
- Scientists rush to save manta rays, the 'pandas of the ocean'
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Leave a Comment:
Let me be sarcastic here: sorry about your losses but don't worry folks, after the floods get your country you'll realize this is nothing.
Please save...these are human beings just trying to eke out a living and apparently in a very risky manner. No one deserves this. Could we shelve the sarcasm for the Weird News pages???
Funny they were making cloths for stores like Walmart and Sears. Shows you where our country stands. Sorry for the exploited laber. Anything for a buck.
Mary... This is what you get with "Globalisim" this is what the power Elite want no matter the cost. This is the reason we don't make cloths here. They exploit the poor countries to do their labor so they can sell at a larger profit here in the Sates. People jsut don't seem to get that when they storm stores on Black Friday and snatch up every cheap item offered. Most of these items were made with the same labor and pay as the poor people who died in this fire, but they don't care as long as they can save a buck. I really hate what Christmas has become to most of the sheep...
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York burned in May 1911, killing 146 people. The oldest victim was 48, the youngest was 11.
And the causes then were exactly the causes at this fire. The loss of life was massive because managers locked doors from the outside to prevent workers from stealing the clothes the factory produced, and when the fire broke out there was nowhere for these (mostly women and children) to go. They died jumping out of windows, of smoke inhalation and being trampled on and simply burning.
It was a tragedy then, it is a tragedy now. While the US has gotten better, mostly through governmental oversight and--yes, unions--pushing for better work conditions for workers as well as adequate pay and benefits, incidents like this have happened everywhere--there was a fire in a Booths Clothing factory in England that killed 49 in October of 1941. It's not specific to an industry, or a country, it's a worldwide problem.
Lynrdsky:
Christmas is too commercialized. There's become too much emphasis on what I'm getting instead of the thought behind the gift. My Christmas presents are usually hand made--painted glassware, knitted scarves/hats/sweaters, carved items. Best way to go, in my opinion. If someone is only looing at the value of the gift, and not the thought behind a handamde gift then they aren't worthy of the thought.
Just one Christmas I'd like to see everyone buy products made in America only! Shame on those of you that empower these slave labor manufacturers.
Confussed - I'm going to step way out on a limb here and pull the hypocrite card on you. I'm willing to bet your comments would never have made it to this public viewing venue without typing it , processing it and sending it with components made outside America. Its a reality everyone hates but no one's willing to do anything about. As long as we're determined to buy what we want or need at the lowest price, the companies that provide those goods and services will farm them out to the lowest bidder - almost always overseas.
Confussed:
Just because it is made outside America does not necessarily imply 'slave labor'... many countries are just as conscientious of worker health and safety as the US is. And even in countries like Bangladesh, not all factory owners treat their workers like slaves. This is something symptomatic of a specific factory, not something that is common practice nationwide or industry-wide.
And you forget there are millions of slaves all over the world, in domestic labor, industrial labor, and the sex trade. This country got to where it was on slave labor and slavery-like conditions (Chinese rail workers of the late 1800's, the Triangle shirtwaist factory I cited above, among others.)
The focus should not be castigating those who buy garments made from cheap labor--for sometimes they too are working for minimum wage and cannot afford to buy more expensive clothing. people do what they can to get by and if buying cheap clothing for you means more food for your hungry child(ren), then you're going to buy cheap clothes.
The focus should be on bringing pressure to bear on the clothing label to not use specific factories to produce clothing if the factory engages in substandard practices.
Ah... the glory of the free trade... where the rich folks exploit people all over the world with total disregard for humanity. Yes, keep buying this garbage made in third world countries and see your own jobs disappear or turn into minimum wage positions. The 1% RULEZ!
Yes Max. I call it canibalization. Each person in the US either earns a check here or someone is taxed to give them a check. They take it to WalMart and hand it over to China, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia and many more countries. They "think" they are saving money. But when they are given the pink slip, or when they are invited into the boss's office with co-workers and are told to start a low bidding competition to keep their job, or when the gubmint decides to cut their check so as not to go over the fiscal cliff because our economy sucks, please tell me just how smart is all that "saving" at these China Mart stores ? If they even think at all they always think they're only killing their neighbor's job. We are all interconnected. You can't give it all to foreigners and expect there to be more for you.
What did these managers think they were doing??? This is terribly shocking, terribly sick!!!
Why isn't there a specific list of the garment name brands produced at this factory??? If someone has the list, please post it. All that's listed here are some of the clients. I wouldn't buy another stitch from them and will encourage everyone I know to do the same.
The list you request will never be published.
This is just another same old story. The company will just reopen under another name in a new location. Profit at any and all cost, workers be damned !! Welcome to the global economy. Just remember those jobs were once our jobs. Sent overseas for cheap labor and tax breaks. Along with avoiding safety regulations and laws. All this brought to you by multinational conglomerates.
This is despicable to say the least. But look at the numbers. They are offering $1250 to the families for their loss. So they have put a price on human life. With a 20 billion dollar a year business, losing workers in this manner is peanuts.
PLEASE NOTE: I DO NOT SUPPORT THIS DISGUSTING MENTALITY. But I also have to blame the consumers around the world, as the U.S. is not the only big consumer any more.
My condolences to the families. My condolences to humanity for what we have become.
Chefaz:
Absolutely. I agree. I'm going to see if I can find a list of those manufacturers. I saw a blip about this on the news last night and they mentioned Walmart as a retailer, but they mentioned that the factory also produces clothing for Sean 'Puffy' Coombs's line of clothes. I'll try to confirm that.
Wakeup people:
Considering that $1 USD is equal to about 80 Bangladeshi Taka, and a 1 kg bag of rice is 40 US cents, and $30 USD will pay the electric bill for a month on an average two-bedroom apartment with a family of four living in it, $1250 is a significant amount for many of these people. However, I will agree it's not enough to cover the financial hit of losing one wage-earner in the family, and nothing can replace a life lost.
That's WHY they make things in those countries- so they can make dollars, and pay in rupees. A burnt down factory full of smoldering dead people costs them 1/1000 of the money of having to have a legitimate clothing factory in Alabama or New Jersey, and always will. Just remember that the next time you go to Wal-Mart to go shopping for "bargains". YOU are the problem....
DB17 - NO WE are not the problem. It is MANAGEMENT that is the problem. THEY know exactly what they are doing. Yes they are making money HAND OVER FIST, thank you very much. They also know the problems of each and every building they own. THEY are the ones that have caused this problem. NOT us. Yes I HATE the fact that that we are no longer making our own clothing. I would love to see this come back the the United States. I also believe that the protest will die down after more money is handed out.
DB17:
I don't make enough at my job to be able to afford to buy clothes at Wal-Mart (hubby on disability, two children, aged 10 and 9, and my 9 year old is autistic.)
For the last several years all our clothes have come from Salvation Army thrift stores, from the kids' school uniforms (navy blue pants, white polo shirts) and my clothes, plus jackets, sneakers, backpacks (the only thing I buy new is underwear.) The boys grow out of their clothes so quickly (and play so hard!) that new clothes would be wasted on them.
The money from what I buy goes to help Americans so for me it's a win-win situation. I can't remember the last time I bought new clothing from a mall or big chain store. A lot of what I pick up still has tags on it, too. Last week my boss had a back-tie gala to attend that he asked me to accompany him to so I could sell his books and hand out his business cards, and I went to the thrift store and found a black evening dress with tags still on it that said $120 on it from GAP...and I paid $23 for it and got compliments all evening.
Your short-sighted and selfish view of the problem is very troubling. In the face of 100+ people dying, all you can do is bemoan the loss of "your" jobs? Instead of calling for the government of Bangladesh to protect its people, as it should, you shift the blame to "multinational conglomerates", a term I'm sure you've used to describe the source of all evils in the world at one point or another. That, and "military-industrial complex".
The problem is not the global economy. The problem is the lack of local enforcement (or even existence) of basic safety regulations. These kinds of tragedies used to happen here, as well -- the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (146 dead), the Hamlet chicken plant (25), the Iroquois Theater (605). Hopefully, as happened with those tragedies, some good will come out of this in that the people of Bangladesh will demand justice, both in terms of imprisoning those responsible, and adoption and enforcement of stricter building and working codes.
Of course, that won't stop people from crying about the loss of "their" jobs, like they have some right to them.
DAN
You missed the point of my comment !!
Our jobs were sent overseas for the sole purpose of fattening the companies bottom line period. Lack of safety rules and oversight by any government . Is just another reason our jobs went to those countries to begin with. Big corporations want NO PART of rules, regulations, taxes and to pay a living wage to it's labor force. That kills their bottom line. We could manufacture these same goods here in the U.S. . Sell them at the same price the foreign goods sell for and the company would still make a profit. They will not bring those jobs back here because they want ALL THE PROFIT THEY CAN GET FOR THEMSELVES PERIOD. Why do you think the riot in India ( auto plant ), China ( Apple supplier ) and now this all took place ???? Like I said PROFIT AT ANY AND ALL COST AND THE WORKERS BE DAMNED.
Here's what I have been able to find about who owns this factory:
The blaze broke out at the seven-story factory operated by Tazreen Fashions late Saturday. By Sunday morning, firefighters had recovered 100 bodies, fire department Operations Director Maj. Mohammad Mahbub said.
He said another 12 people who had suffered injuries after jumping from the building to escape the fire later died at hospitals. The death toll could rise as the search for victims was continuing, he said. It is thought to be the country's worst ever factory blaze.
Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed in the fire. The cause of the blaze was not immediately clear, and authorities have ordered an investigation.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/bangladesh/9701277/More-than-112-killed-in-Bangladesh-clothing-factory-fire.html
There have been concerns about this factory before, most recently last year.
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Fire raced up the floors of a garment factory in Bangladesh, killing at least 112 people, many of them trapped in the eight-story building with no emergency exits where they make clothes for major global retailers.
The factory outside the capital, Dhaka, is owned by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building to escape, Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Going further:
Wal-Mart spokesman Kevin Gardner said online documents indicating an orange or "high risk" assessment after the May 2011 inspection and a yellow or "medium risk" report after an inspection in August 2011 appeared to pertain to the factory. The August 2011 letter said Wal-Mart would conduct another inspection within one year.
Gardner said it was not clear if that inspection had been conducted or whether the factory was still making products for Wal-Mart.
If a factory is rated "orange" three times in two years, Wal-Mart won't place any orders for one year. The May 2011 report was the first orange rating for the factory.
Neither Tazreen's owner nor Tuba Group officials could be reached for comment.
The Tuba Group is a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients also include Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its factories export garments to the U.S., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, among other countries. The Tazreen factory, which opened in 2009 and employed about 1,700 people, made polo shirts, fleece jackets and T-shirts.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/112-killed-fire-bangladesh-garment-factory-article-1.1207734#ixzz2DLbjEhEX
Here's the 'orange' category letter sent to the factory's ownersbyWal-Mart;
http://www.tubagroupbd.net/Profile/Walmart%20Tazreen.pdf
Here's what Tazreen says about itself:
Even though, TAZREEN Fashions Ltd is a newly established company, oriented in manufacturing in 100% export oriented garments and sweaters, we take pride in defining ourselves to be truly dedicated garments and sweater manufacturer and supplier. Our connections are with some of the top most companies (in the same industry) of our nation, Bangladesh. Organisations like NASSA Group, Palmal Group, Givensy and many others are closely linked with us. Infact, some of these are governed, basically by family-related and friends, and our due to this reason, our company is completely guided and continued with great management philosophies.
There is a group that is looking into this fire, and looking for garment labels. Yes, the information you are looking for will come out.
Scott Nova is the executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which is an American group working to improve conditions at factories abroad that make clothes for U.S. companies. It is the Tazreen factory, and the Workers Rights Consortium went into the factory to find out which brands they were making: Faded Glory, a Wal-Mart label, and labels for some Sears products, and a clothing company owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs. Walmart has staff on site in Bangladesh.
At first I wrote enjoy your $10 shirts but now that I think of it these clothes could be the most expensive, it doesn't matter. Cheap labor is the norm for all our clothes these days. The last shirt manufacturer closed in America this year. I wouldn't know if it was any safer but I would put my money on it that it was. Thank You Wal-Mart shoppers! Anyone remember what Wal-Mart advertized when it first opened? "American made goods" What a crock of shirt that turned out to be. I pray these families get the justice they deserve!
The Wal-Mart family needs to make more money. It's almost Christmas you know.
The managers of the companies over there are the ones to blame. THEY are the ones who designed a building (or used it for manufacturing) that had only one door and kept it locked. THEY knew the trials this would bring. This type of tragedy has been around for at least 100 years! THEY are the ones that did not learn from it. BLAME them - NOT us.
The day when people in these types of situations realize the power they have over the global market is a day that we will all suffer. For now however, they still need the jobs and don't have the resources to put themselves in a position to demand more.
I fully support any effort by people unsafe and exploitative labor conditions to try and earn more for their labor. The extra money I will pay is worth it. Making things isn't as cheap as companies would like customers to believe.
Curious though, they never said whether those "managers", the one especially that told the one man to go back to work, if they escaped the fire. Bet your ass they did. Probably left the building right after telling everyone to stay where they were and continue working then locked the doors on them.
Makes me sick that anyone, I don't care where they live, can put people in such dangerous situations with no cause for any future alarm if a fire or something else were to happen. They need to be in jail.
I'm going to disagree with you here, as I found clothing manufacturers who make their products domestically.
American Apparel, Brooks Brothers, Alfred Dunner, Allen Schwartz, Baby Phat, Basic Threads, Betsey Johnson, Carolina Hererra, Chico's, Dress Barn, Donna Karan, Forever 21, Issac Mizrahi, La Couture, L8ter, Oleg Cassini, Purple Rain, Rag & Bone, Style & co, Levi's, Ralph Lauren, Nordstrom, Rock & Republic, Bass, Kenneth Cole, LLBean, New Balance, Red Wing, Wolveerine, Ann Taylor, Ann Klein, Asics, Champion, Charter Club, Fruit of the Loom, Hanes, Golden Toe (socks), J.Crew, Jos. A. Bank...The list goes on.
You can find the complete list here:
http://clothingmadeinusablog.wordpress.com/category/listing-of-american-clothing-brands-retail/
Just think, if these folks had a union, they wouldn't have been able to pay them six cents an hour, and burn down the building with them inside it- but then SOMEONE wouldn't have been able to become exceedingly wealthy exploiting them, and rednecks wouldn't be able to buy an entire wardrobe for $150 at Wal-Mart. Some things are more important than others, and at least half of this country votes for the latter....we are pathetic.
I know, unions ruin everything- why shouldn't some rich guy be able to exploit everyone at his mercy? You hope to be that guy some day...it's the American dream.....keep dreaming....you have a better chance of being hit in the head with a bowling ball at the golf course. Those spots are all already taken, and the game is rigged against you. I know, I know- you thought OBAMA was the reason why those regulations hamper your small business....as if the Wal-Marts and Targets of the world don't expect anything for those seven and eight figure campaign contributions....
If the CEOs of these major companies would demand that the companies they outsource too would be required to employ the same safety and human rights standards as we have in the USA, this most likely would not have happened.
These CEOs that outsource to these companies that have no regard for human life or the children they lock into these factories are only concerned about profits. The CEOs are no better than the murderers they outsource too. Shame on all of them!!!
Whenever I see someone wearing Nike products. I ask myself, "do these people know that thousands of children have died or been beaten by those that manufacture their products." Just one example. There are many more just as this latest one...
Over 101 years ago New York City had the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire. We all know that there are manufactures outside of the US that have little or no safety standards. Some questions to both customers and retailers.
Should the US market be concerned over the lack of standards in off shore companies?
Should companies like Wal-Mart, Sears and JCP be held responsible in these situations?
Are you as a customer of these companies willing to pay more for your purchases to assure fair working standards are met.
Remember the rest of the world wants the US to participate in their mandates like carbon credits, clean air, child discipline and the adoption of Sharia Law.
History repeats itself! Wal-Mart, Sears, and JCP are all Mickey Mouse!
After yet another fire in just a few days, you got to wonder. Is the competition heating up that much, or is there a disgruntled employee.???
Here is the problem with your comment. NO garments to my knowledge are still being produced in the US. No athletic shoes have been produced here for I think 20 years. Everything is globalized to a point. Japanese cars are not even made in Japan. Toyota Trucks have their final assembly in Texas. Try to go a single day only using products made in the US. Remember the gas in your fuel Tank probably came from the middle east. I am not pro union in anyway I think that their usefulness has been used up for many years now. Look at the Hostess debacle. Until unions take hold in poorer countries prices and safety will not improve. It is just beginning to move in China.
I am happy to say that I own a pair of sneakers made in the USA. New Balance still makes some of their sneakers here. Look for the boxes with the little American flags on them.
Unions did not kill Hostess. The executive pay did. They kept increasing the executive pay (even while the company was losing money), while forcing the employees to take pay cuts. That company had been in trouble for years. But it sure makes unions sound terrible if you say they are to blame! Takes all the focus off the real problem and a lot of sheep will go along with it...
It takes a tragedy to allow these people to protest how they are treated. We bitch about unions here now, but this is how they got started by protecting workers safety. When there is no one to speak for the workers the bosses do what they will with them and treat them as chattel. Nothing new here just backwards culture.
the owner of the company should be burned alive as should the manager, as should the owners of any company that buys this companies product.
I notice you conveniently left the "end purchaser" out of the blame cycle.
Hold the company's hand to the fire and not only make them pay for all the deaths, but for poor working conditions, non-safety standards, locked doors from the outside and above all homicide. Also, picket Walmart, Ikea, and any other store buying slave wage goods. India always boasts about their government oversite and where is that now? I certainly can't see any. Now is the time for the consumer to say stop! Do not buy goods made in countries who do not protect their workers. Boycott goods made in Bangladesh NOW!! Think of all those mothers, sister, brothers, fathers burned to death and do you really need that polo or tee shirt?
I'm not sure Bangladesh would allow over-site by the government of India.
This has GOT to stop. We in this country bare the blame for this. Whenever you go to a store and buy clothing from Bangladesh, Pakistan, Guatemala, India, and many other poverty-stricken nations, you are perpetuating the exploitation. They sold us this Globalization BS in that they were going to lift people in underdeveloped nations out of poverty. No.. this was just pretty wrapping on the truth - the truth we ALL are refusing to acknowledge in a meaningful way, because it may inconvenience us. The reality is that our factories were closed down, and these jobs were sent where people have little voice, and are easily expolited, where there are no regulations, and corporations can work people to early graves. They simply used Globalization as a way around the regulations that were put in place here, to stop these abuses.
So when you buy this stuff from countries where you know people are living in squalor, you are enabling the devastation of the working and middle classes here (loss of our jobs) and encouraging the exploitation that our great grandfathers fought tooth and nail to put and end to here. You have blood - and in this case - charred bodies - on your hands if you buy the clothing in the stores today, with few exceptions.
We do NOT require dozens of trendy outfits, made quickly, and of cheap materials, from these exploited workers.
Its time to do what Gandhi did. Action. Didn't he spin his own fabric, and get a whole India movement doing the same, to stop British textile exploitation of the Indians? Yes, he did.
Its time for us to stop being such disgusting, venal, immoral, people. We sit here, tsk tsking, but how many of you will be buying corporate clothing for Christmas?
Its time to go back to making our own clothes. And I am talking, GO out and buy a sewing machine. It would be amazing if we could actually show these elite pigs that we CAN stand up and have a collective moral conscience and the will enough to reject the "fashion trends" which are nothing more than cynical ploys to get idiots to buy a whole new wardrobe of cheaply made sweatshop clothing as often as possible.
We really are a corrupt, decadent, venal, and unpleasant culture at this point.
I for one, will NOT buy new clothes. I am wearing out what I have and repairing it, buying vintage, and sewing my own. I do NOT want this blood on my conscience.... and it does weigh heavily on me.
This isnt a game, this isnt something that ANY of us should just read, and forget about... this is massive human suffering, and we are enabling it. STOP! PLEASE!!
Strength in Numbers--after posting my comment (#16) I looked up and read your comment here--and I agree!!! I like what you said about Gandi--I did not know that bit of info. Thank you for sharing that! Again, I agree! We can vote with our money--we have more power than we realize. After all, I can choose, whenever possible, to use up, make do, upcycle, repair, buy used at garage sales, support local economies and farmers markets, buy American made when possible, and after American made, international fair trade when possible. We can do this TOGETHER!!!!
I don't blame them for protesting!!! In fact, I hope that they are able to affect the changes that need to occur there!! This fire's death count is CRIMINAL!!! It is criminal because of the horrendous negligence!!!
Workers are so poor in Bangladesh that protesters can't even afford picket signs!
Global Economy = Global Standard of Living
Our standard of living is not competitive in a global economy and will decline until it is.
The markets work.
NBC - THIS SHOULD BE THE TOP OF THE HEADLINE NEWS.
Yes I'm shouting. Nine stories of people burned to death, making clothing for Walmart, Sears, and a rapper, and it is a small-print headline? Haven't we learned anything in a hundred years since the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire? Just because it is another country shouldn't mean we ignore this: it is the clothing in OUR closets.
I don't understand when governments take away regulations: an International court should decide if this was a safe place (obviously not), and should make regulations for all manufacture around the world.
The next time you see someone dissing the Labor Movement, just think about this....AND the Triangle Shirtwaste Factory Fire, in NY, NY, in 19(??).....Then pray this is the Bagladeshis "Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire Historical Turning Point".
These are the original sweat shops... the owners make millions, the workers make nothing, US companies like WalMart make profits on the horrendous markups to the consumers...
This is what is wrong about sending jobs overseas... the quality of the merchandise is far less than the price we pay, the workers are just about 'forced' to work 20 hours a day for little or no money, there is no safety factor legislation to protect the workers, the owners are actually brutal slave masters...
But our big corporations would rather put overseas workers at risk and put our people our of work... WalMart knows what was going on, but the bottom line is profit and will continue this...
Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement:
Bangladeshi and international unions and labor rights organizations have initiated an independent fire and building safety program to minimize the risk of future deadly factory fires like those that have recently taken the lives of hundreds of garment workers in Bangladesh and Pakistan. Unlike corporate-controlled monitoring systems, the program will include independent inspections by trained fire safety experts with public reporting of the results. Brands will be required to offer supplier contracts with sufficient financing and adequate pricing to allow for necessary renovations and other preventative measures. Brands will also be required to cease doing business with any supplier that refuses to make needed repairs and operate safely. To effectively implement the program, there will be a central role for workers and unions and a binding contract to make the commitments enforceable. Currently, PVH Corp. (owner of Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein) and major German retailer Tchibo have signed onto the agreement. Thus far, other major buyers from Bangladesh including Walmart, Gap and H&M have failed to join the program. Labor rights groups are calling on these brands to join the independent Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Agreement to protect the lives of the workers who make their clothing.
NOT ENOUGH MONEY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!