Body to oversee ILO sponsored fund for Rana Plaza victims

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) along with other industry people have formed a seven- member committee to oversee disbursement of $40m among the Rana Plaza victims.
"As a signatory to the ILO sponsored fund, we've formed a seven- member committee so that workers' welfare fund is disbursed in a transparent manner," Md Shahidullah Azim, vice-president of BGMEA, told BSS Friday. Azim, who was entrusted with the responsibility to look into fund disbursement from the association side, said the BGMEA will dedicate person to ensure that genuine Rana Plaza victims are getting the financial support.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has a requirement of 40 million US dollars for the Workers' Welfare Fund and $16m has so far been mobilised.
In the $16m, British clothing retailer Primark provided $9m and the rest $7m dollars came from other international brands.
Meanwhile, ILO Country Director Srinivasa Reddy announced that disbursement of the financial assistance will start before the first anniversary of the tragedy.
A total of 3,080 victims will be compensated, with each victim receiving Tk 50,000 from the trust fund created by the international retailers, he said at a function in the city Thursday.
IndustriALL, a global union federation; UNI, a global trade union; and Clean Clothes Campaign, a leading rights network for the garment sector, already demanded that the 29 brands which sourced from factories housed at Rana Plaza must pay for the trust fund before April 24.
Rana Plaza, an eight-storey commercial building with several garment factories in, collapsed on April 24, 2013, killing 1,131 people and maiming numerous others, mostly garment workers.