WASHINGTON - Today, Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI), Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (D-VA), and Representative Jackie Speier (D-CA) issued statements on the two year anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh. The collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory on April 24, 2013 killed 1,138 workers and injured an additional 2,500 in the deadliest garment factory disaster in history.
Rep. Sandy Levin: “Two years ago, the world witnessed a needless tragedy. In the months after the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory, I traveled to Bangladesh and met with workers and their families who described the horror and hardship confronted during and after the factory’s collapse. While there has been some progress in helping the families of the victims and ensuring that working conditions improve, the overall effort has fallen far short. Among the many deficiencies, the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund is still millions of dollars short of what is needed to compensate families impacted by the Rana Plaza collapse.
“Unfortunately, the response by the government of Bangladesh has been grossly inadequate. In just the past year, workers have been brutally assaulted by their employers, without any persecution of those crimes by the government. The Bangladesh government simply must do more.
“We cannot and will not forget what happened at Rana Plaza two years ago. Several workers who survived at Rana Plaza told me that they did not want to go into the unsafe building the day it collapsed, but that they were told they would be fired. They said that if workers had a union representing them, hundreds would not have lost their lives that day.
“We will continue to fight for the rights of workers to be recognized in Bangladesh and in other countries. In the current Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations, we will continue to insist that the fundamental rights of workers be protected in the agreement."
Rep. Bobby Scott: “The first tragedy at Rana Plaza took the lives of more than 1,100 and injured more than 2,500 Bangladeshi garment workers producing for western brands and retailers. There is a second and persistent tragedy facing both those who are now unable to work after suffering devastating injuries as well as those families who lost a breadwinner in the building collapse. These victims must be made whole.
Unfortunately, some retailers and brands have yet to contribute the millions of dollars needed so that the internationally recognized compensation arrangement can help those who were devastated by the tragedy. While some brands are to be applauded for following through on their commitment and moral obligation, on this anniversary, I encourage all the retailers and brands involved to fully commit to supporting these workers and families who suffered and continue to suffer following the disaster at Rana Plaza."
Rep. Jackie Speier: “As we join the people of Bangladesh to mourn the 1,100 lives taken and many more injured in the Rana Plaza tragedy, it is incumbent upon us to continue to work to ensure that a devastating tragedy like this can never happen again. Right now, it still could.
Although some progress has been made, much more is needed, and we must continue to work with the European Union and our partners to fight for desperately needed improvements to safety and fair labor standards. This will only happen by continuing to urge the government of Bangladesh to make needed reforms and vigilantly monitor progress toward them."
