Health and safety in global supply chains must improve


Five years after the April 2013 collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh, which killed 1,134 people and left thousands more injured, a new study says a voluntary approach has failed to improve working conditions. 


The US-based Center for Global Rights’ Binding power report says “more than two decades of private voluntary approaches to address workers’ rights abuses” in supply chains in the garment industry have seen severely limited improvements. Workers at the bottom of supply chains continue to face poor working conditions and chronic violations of their rights. The research centre lays part of the blame on the sourcing practices of brands and retailers at the top of global supply chains. 


It says they are squeezing supplier factories and increasing forced overtime and work intensity, resulting in a fall in real wages. In contrast, and despite the supplier squeeze, the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety has had a dramatic effect. 


The report explains that the Accord has been a success because it was negotiated between buyers and unions, holds suppliers and buyers responsible for the cost of safe buildings, is legally binding and transparent. It has overseen a massive programme of safety renovations and upgrades.


Safety campaign groups organised commemoration events to mark the fifth anniversary of the disaster and to express solidarity with the ongoing struggle and demands of the survivors and families of those who were killed.


http://lser.la.psu.edu/gwr/documents/CGWR2017ResearchReportBindingPower.pdf