Introduction
Different national and international organizations have observed the first anniversary of Rana Plaza collapse on April 24, 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh particularly in Savar. The incident was reported that on the day when the tragedy happened, there were eight buildings collapsed that claimed one thousand one hundred thirty-eight garment workers died mostly female workers. In addition, two thousand five hundred workers were seriously injured and one thousand five hundred workers were missing. The tragic incident drew attention of the world communities extremely and all Medias publicize the horrifying news of the incident worldwide. The most unquestionably horrific human tragedy in a garment industry in world history collapse was the Rana Plaza garment factory complex. It remains an open question at present about the massive loss of life if it will be balanced by the new period of social reform. However, it is possible that Rana Plaza has well-represented the same type of political and moral shock in the historic Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire from 1911 in New York City; the an exploitative and dysfunctional production system ushered in a generation of social reform and labor rights. The Rana Plaza garment industry became the worst in the history of the international garment industry because it faced formal charges filed against the owner of a garment factory, and after the collapse, the government is bitterly criticized by some quarters as the rescue equipments were very poor; however, at present, it focuses on the industry’s successes, important to Bangladesh’s economy that provides the country’s overall exports and employs million of people.
The collapse of Rana Plaza received a special attention worldwide and known as the worst in the history of the international garment industry; due to its unnatural disasters of economic injustice and crime filed against the company. One of the facts before the collapse was the signs of the building’s imminent collapse; however, the owners had ordered the workers to remain in their stations to avoid that they will be fired from work. The company also has violated codes and the building at the four upper floors was constructed illegally without permits. The massive death and injuries of the victims touch the hearts of every individual where most of the victims were trapped under the heavy debris helpless. Five months before the incident happened, the international attention has already focused on the labor conditions in Bangladesh. The attention started after the fatal fire happened at Tazreen Fashions, factory garment near Dhaka, Bangladesh. The government officials have pledged assistance and many companies globally to tighten the standards of safety of the factories. Some of the contributors who pledged to fund are from the European department stores such as Inditex, the owners of Zara brand, El Corte Inglés, global fashion chain Mango, work-wear company Mascot, and Canadian retailer Loblaw.
The role of the government is bitterly criticized by some quarters as their rescue equipments were very poor; it shows the direct and indirect causes. Before the tragedy, the building itself or it was already structural faults that mean the foundation of the building was substandard. In detailed, on the lower floors such as shops and bank branches immediately closed when they discovered some signs of destructions. However, the owners of the garment factories located on the upper floors have ordered all the employees to continue to work despite some safety risks has occurred. When the tragedy happened, many labor rights advocates claimed that the collapse of Rana Plaza showed continued failures to take meaningful action from the government. The building permits are ignored routinely that resulted to poor construction or engineered multi-story building factories on land and the worst not far above the water table. In addition, the fire codes are flouted, the exit doors locked, and the working hours are lengthened. There was tough pressure in the part of the workers assigned in the safety department and ignored in making well-designed plans for safety. According to Scott Nova, the executive director of Worker Right Consortium and a labor rights group that, “The front-line responsibility should come from the government; however, the real power lies with the Western brands and its retailers. It started with the biggest players such as H & M, Gap, Walmart, Inditex, and other companies” . The fact that Bangladesh is the second-leading garment exporter worldwide; however, the industry has been known in violating safety and angry protests over rock-bottom wages of the workers. During the wake of the horrific tragedy, the European and American retailers and brands united and formed organizations that focused to ensure quality, intensive inspections, and resolve the issues where they source from, the garment factories in Bangladesh .
Most importantly, the reason why the collapse of Rana Plaza as the worst in the history of the international garment industry is when the owner of a garment factory faced multiple charges after the incident that has its short and long-term effects. Formal charges have been brought against the owners of the garment factory where workers have died horrifyingly. The official codes applied have been ineffectively notable in Bangladesh even though their garment industries are the second largest exporter of different apparels worldwide. There are reports about cheap labor and exports with corrupt and ineffective state apparatus or devices. Added to it is the powerful and autonomous group of garment manufacturers in the country that had generated closely to lawless frontiers of industrial schemes. As a result of the this pressure, both in short an log-term effects, the Rana Plaza building owners are facing murder charges such as murder, multiple physical injuries, and the like. Specifically, on its long-term effects, some of the implicated apparel companies have agreed to take part on a Bangladeshi Safety Accord. A good initial step to making garment factories in Bangladesh safer places to work, in the accord or elsewhere, for the victims of the industrial disaster to seek damages from any of the transnational corporations or TNCs that profited from the sales of clothing produced in the low-wage factory complex and unsafe procedure. However, there are refusals of the major United Sates retailers to simply agree to the international Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. Instead to commit and to ensure Bangladeshi contractors to produce the American market to agree in the basic rights and standards of safety, some companies such as Walmart suggested that the retailers are trustworthy in the development in the independent ways for secure plans and accountability. However, other groups argued that Bangladesh does not need pity or handouts; it needs strong labor movements and progressive basis to keep ensure the corporations and government accountable. There is a new fund to support the victims of the Rana Plaza collapse and other garment industry accidents involved in Bangladesh according to the United States government.
Conclusion
The industry focuses on its successes; it is important to Bangladesh’s economy that provides the country’s overall exports and employs million of people as the counterparts to its known negative feedback from different levels as the worst tragedy in the history of the international garment industry. After a year, or after the collapse of Rana Plaza, the world watched with horror as a concrete building known as “Rana Plaza” buckled, cracked, and ultimately collapsed atop the garment workers inside its factories. Bangladesh be obliged to move fast to preserve the successes of the garment sector. It should focus on this industry’s successes when it recalls the tragedy. The garment industry has been signally important to Bangladesh’s economy, it provides about eighty percent of the overall exports and employment of people in million worldwide. The industry’s workforce is primarily women, and the company empowers women positively for Bangladesh. However, the basic factory safety should be met, or else, retailers and brands will have less and risky places to source their garments. Finally, right after the incident in 2013, Bangladesh has passed labor law amendments, which most importantly strengthened the rights of the workers of every association and collective exchange. The law made Bangladesh possible becomes part of the International Labor Organization-International Finance Corporation or ILOIFC program. A better work provides in-depth assessments and quality or excellent advice to individual factories respectively.
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