Geneva meet to fix compensation for RMG victims of Tazreen and Rana Plaza

---

FE Report An international meeting to determine compensation for readymade garment (RMG) victims of Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters will be held in Geneva on September 11 and 12. The meeting will focus on development of a collaborative process for determining the amount of compensation and the process of distributing those to those whose family life, economic well-being and health have been severely shattered as a result of these tragedies. The process will draw on an existing framework established following previous tragedies in the Bangladeshi garment industry. Earlier the meeting was scheduled to be held in Dhaka on August 11 and 12 but was deferred due to sudden illness of a key union official and a strike threat in Bangladesh. The first meeting will discuss compensation for the Tazreen victims while the second for the Rana Plaza and will seek to achieve proper compensation payments to the victims and survivors of the two industrial accidents, a statement issued by IndustriALL Global Union said Wednesday. The meeting, convened by IndustriALL Global Union, will be facilitated by the International Labour Organisation as a neutral and independent chair while representatives of the Bangladesh government and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exports Association (BGMEA) have also been invited. The message to brands from IndustriALL will be clear, IndustriALL Assistant General Secretary Monika Kemperle said adding: "The families and the injured have already waited far too long. Companies which are serious about conditions in their Bangladeshi production chain can send a clear sign of their sincerity at these meetings." In an another statement, Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC)-- the largest global alliance of labour unions in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector-- said the CCC is increasing its pressure on Benetton, Mango and other fashion brands to pay full and fair compensation to victims of the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh. All brands, including Walmart, which are linked to the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters are being called to attend the meetings. Coordination of compensation in both cases is essential. The Tazreen fire killed at least 112 on November 24, 2012 and the Rana Plaza building collapse killed at least 1,133 on April 24, 2013, the statement said adding: "Some of the bodies are yet to be identified. Many more were injured, but the exact number and extent of injuries are unknown. Whilst a small amount of compensation has been paid to victims in both cases, this is insufficient and the information on who has received what is uncoordinated and lacking in transparency." Ineke Zeldenrust from the CCC said: "Victims of the Tazreen fire have been waiting for over eight months to receive full compensation. The Rana Plaza victims have been struggling to survive since the building collapsed in April. Benetton refuses to come to the meeting and Mango still dodges responsibility. Walmart, the biggest company in the world, whines that it can't keep control of its supply chain. Hundreds of families have lost breadwinners, while the workers who survived have been horrifically injured and lost their jobs, not to mention the psychological impact of these disasters. They deserve better." Discussions using this compensation framework have already begun in relation to the Tazreen victims and survivors, the CCC statement said adding some of the Tazreen buyers had committed to making compensation payments, but the process was stalled in April as the parties dealt with the fallout from Rana Plaza and establishing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. This briefing aims to give an overview of what action needs to be taken by the different actors involved in order to improve the safety of garment factories in Bangladesh, what has been achieved so far both in preventing future tragedies and compensating the victims of previous incidents and what more could and should be done by the brands, retailers and employers to ensure that the workers of Bangladesh are not risking their lives for the sake of cheap fashion, it added. The estimated long-term compensation for the Rana Plaza victims will be more than 54 million Euros (71 million USD). For Tazreen this is at least 4.3 million Euros (5.7 million USD). These figures include compensation for pain and suffering, as well as long-term loss of earnings for families of deceased workers, and injured workers unable to return to work. These figures are likely to increase once medical costs for the physically injured workers, psychological support for all workers or their families and payments for lost wages and legal severance payments are calculated. Full details of which brands and retailers participate will be released at the time of the meetings, the IndustryAll statement said adding the work around the compensation issue is not part of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety. But the strong spirit of cooperation built by the Accord feeds into the process.