EU considers action after Bangladesh factory collapse
01/05/2013
More than 400 people were killed when illegally built Rana Plaza in Savar collapsed last week with 3,000 workers inside. The death toll is likely to rise as many remain unaccounted for. Around 60% of the country’s $19 billion apparel industry is exported to Europe.
"The EU calls upon the Bangladeshi authorities to act immediately to ensure that factories across the country comply with international labour standards," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement.
However, any action on Bangladesh's duty-free and quota-free access would require the agreement of all member states and could take more than a year to implement.
The Swiss-based IndustriAll Global Union, which represents 50 million workers, has set a May 15 deadline to finalise with Western retailers a commitment to a fire and building safety plan for Bangladesh. "Funds will be made available for inspections, training and upgrades of dangerous facilities," it said, and called on retailers to pay suppliers more to enable technical upgrades to factories.
There have been demonstrations in Bangladesh calling for the factories' owners to be held to account, with some suggesting the death penalty.
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