Twelve years have now handed because the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh, one of many deadliest industrial disasters in historical past. On April 24, 2013, the eight-story Rana Plaza constructing in Savar collapsed, claiming the lives of 1,134 individuals and injuring over 2,500 others. The collapse was a product of denied labor rights for closely exploited garment staff and company disregard for unambiguously unsafe building conditions.
The trauma and wounds inflicted by the Rana Plaza catastrophe stay contemporary, 12 years later, for the survivors and households, who suffered immeasurable loss. Amongst them is Yanur Akhter, a former helper on the Ether Tex Ltd. garment manufacturing unit on the sixth ground at Rana Plaza. She misplaced her mom, who used to work on the seventh ground, within the accident. Akhter herself narrowly escaped loss of life: A big concrete beam fell on Akhter and she or he was trapped underneath the particles for 18 hours.
“After I was trapped underneath a concrete beam, there have been 4 our bodies on my left leg. I used to be undecided in the event that they had been alive or not. I used to be struggling loads out of thirst. I used to be screaming for water. I used to be feeling suffocated and I nonetheless undergo from bronchial asthma. It was so darkish that I couldn’t inform if it was day or evening. All I may hear had been individuals crying and screaming for assist,” Akhter informed Truthout.
Following the collapse, Yanur Akhter spent two-and-a-half months within the hospital, present process remedy for her accidents. Medical doctors knowledgeable her that full restoration wouldn’t be attainable, and she or he would want to proceed taking medicine. Her decrease physique had suffered nerve injury, and her spinal wire was severely affected, with a number of elements being surgically faraway from her ankle to her waist for remedy.
“After the accident, I’m unable to go to any work as a result of my accidents. I can’t do most of the home chores. I don’t have any selection apart from sitting at dwelling with these injured legs,” she mentioned. She now lives along with her husband, who’s a day laborer, and 5-year-old son in Savar on the outskirts of Dhaka.
One other survivor, Jasmin Akhter, used to work as a stitching operator at Phantom Tec Ltd. on the fifth ground of Rana Plaza. On the day of the collapse, she was rescued from underneath the rubble practically 5 hours later.
Round 54.5 p.c of Rana Plaza survivors are presently unemployed, with 89 p.c of them being jobless for the previous 5 to eight years.
That day, she sustained critical accidents to her waist, backbone and legs. Since then, Jasmin Akhter has undergone remedy a number of instances, however the traumatic reminiscences of that day nonetheless hang-out her.
Her husband, Mohammad Rahat, additionally labored on the identical ground, and fortuitously, each of them survived. A few 12 months after the accident, their baby was born. Nonetheless, Jasmin believes that as a result of her rising well being issues following the collapse, her husband noticed her as a burden and left her shortly after their baby was born.
Presently, she lives along with her baby in a one-room rented area in a home on the outskirts of Dhaka, in Savar, and works as a home helper to make ends meet.
“In these tough instances, I can neither stay a wholesome life myself nor give my baby the life they deserve,” Jasmin Akhter informed Truthout.
Survivors Struggling 12 Years Later Demand Extra
Many of the survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse reside in poverty, grappling with the lasting affect of extreme bodily accidents that make discovering employment difficult. A 2023 survey by ActionAid Bangladesh revealed that round 54.5 p.c of Rana Plaza survivors are presently unemployed, with 89 p.c of them being jobless for the previous 5 to eight years.
Thousands of foreign companies and brands — together with H&M, Inditex, Primark, Bestseller, Marks & Spencer, C&A, Uniqlo, LPP, Subsequent, Pepco and Walmart — supply ready-made clothes from Bangladesh. The nation’s ready-made garment (RMG) trade contributes greater than 81 p.c of its complete annual exports, underscoring its very important function within the nationwide financial system.
Because the Rana Plaza collapse, Bangladesh’s RMG trade has made vital progress in areas equivalent to manufacturing unit security, infrastructure threat mitigation, employee well being and empowerment, and wholesome working environments. The Accord on Constructing and Fireplace Security in Bangladesh (known as Accord) and the Alliance for Bangladesh Employee Security (known as Alliance), each international purchaser initiatives, have performed a pivotal function in driving these enhancements.
Alliance ended its tenure in December 2018 and handed over its charge to Nirapon, a nonprofit group, and on June 1, 2020, the RMG Sustainability Council took over the Accord operations and began functioning as a security monitoring physique within the RMG sector in Bangladesh.
Joly Talukder, vp of the Garment Employees Commerce Union Centre, informed Truthout that whereas working situations have improved considerably, staff completely injured at Rana Plaza are nonetheless struggling to outlive and win adequate compensation:
The lives of the injured staff have actually turn out to be insufferable. Those that misplaced limbs obtained a one-time cost. However many others suffered accidents no much less extreme than dropping a limb. As an illustration, these with spinal accidents — lots of them have by no means been capable of return to regular life. Neglect heavy labor, they will’t even do common work. They want medicine year-round.
A major variety of the employees injured within the Rana Plaza collapse have spent, or are nonetheless spending, their lives in unemployment. Out of sheer necessity, some could have taken jobs, however they will’t proceed in them for lengthy.
We had demanded compensation for them in accordance with the Worldwide Labour Group conference, equal to a lifetime of misplaced earnings. At the moment, 127 crore BDT [the equivalent of almost US$10.5 million] was deposited into the then-Prime Minister’s Reduction Fund. We noticed {that a} portion of it was given to the employees. We have now lengthy been demanding rehabilitation for the completely disabled and people unable to work. Now {that a} new authorities is in energy, we’re making the identical calls for to them as properly.
The injured staff are merely not in a situation to do heavy labor. The state of affairs concerning compensation has turn out to be dire. We had proposed that the vacant land the place Rana Plaza as soon as stood be used for the rehabilitation of the deceased and completely disabled staff. However that hasn’t been accomplished both. We’re asking that one thing be accomplished for them to allow them to stay out the remainder of their lives with dignity and never in extended struggling.
Garment Employees’ Rebellion Wins Key Calls for
Following a mass uprising in August 2024 that led to the autumn of the earlier authorities, Bangladesh is presently underneath the stewardship of an interim administration. Amid efforts to revive order and financial stability notably within the RMG sector, a landmark settlement has been reached between garment manufacturing unit homeowners, employee representatives and the interim authorities.
The settlement follows weeks of worker-led demonstrations, notably in key industrial zones equivalent to Ashulia, which severely disrupted the nation’s prime export trade. Many factories had been shuttered underneath the “no work, no pay” rule or closed indefinitely amid rising tensions. Employee dissatisfaction had been intensifying as a result of low wages, unsafe working situations and job insecurity.
On September 23, 2024, it was formally introduced that 18 demands raised by garment staff had been accepted by the authorities.
Among the many most important calls for fulfilled are:
- A rise within the attendance bonus by Tk225 (USD 1.85).
- A Tk10 (USD 0.082) elevate in each lunch (tiffin) and evening shift allowances.
- Full implementation of the government-fixed minimal wage of Tk12,500 (USD 102.86) throughout all factories by October 10, 2024.
- Extension of paid maternity go away to 120 days.
- A right away halt to unjust employee terminations and the misuse of biometric blacklisting programs.
- Entry to backed important items by way of the Buying and selling Company of Bangladesh.
- Compensation for the households of staff who died throughout the current protests.
- Improved daycare and baby care amenities inside manufacturing unit premises.
This settlement is being seen as a pivotal second for labor rights in Bangladesh and a step ahead in addressing long-standing grievances within the RMG sector, which employs thousands and thousands and drives a significant portion of the nationwide financial system.
Bangladesh’s export earnings surged by 10.53 p.c throughout the first eight months (July-February) of the present fiscal 12 months 2024-25, reaching US$32.94 billion, in keeping with knowledge launched by the Export Promotion Bureau. This progress is essentially attributed to the continued sturdy efficiency of the RMG sector.
Compared, the nation earned US$29.80 billion throughout the identical interval within the earlier fiscal 12 months. The only-month export earnings for February 2025 additionally confirmed a modest 2.77 p.c year-on-year rise, fetching US$3.97 billion.
The RMG sector as soon as once more remained the spine of Bangladesh’s export financial system, registering a ten.64 p.c progress year-on-year and incomes US$26.79 billion within the eight-month interval, up from US$24.21 billion final 12 months. Knitwear exports contributed US$14.34 billion with an 11.01 p.c rise, whereas woven clothes introduced in US$12.45 billion, reflecting a ten.22 p.c progress.
Not too long ago, U.S. President Donald Trump has announced a steep 37 percent tariff on Bangladeshi exports under his “Reciprocal Tariffs” policy, citing Bangladesh’s 74 p.c efficient tariff on U.S. items. In response, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus urged a three-month delay to melt the blow and pledged to extend U.S. imports — particularly agricultural items — whereas initiating reforms to cut back commerce imbalances and shield Bangladesh’s key garment sector.
Whether or not security compliance has certainly dramatically elevated will turn out to be clearer with time. Within the meantime, nevertheless, the survivors of the catastrophic collapse proceed to deal with its aftermath. One other survivor of the catastrophe, 33-year-old Parul, used to work at Phantom Tec Ltd. on the fifth ground of Rana Plaza. When the constructing collapsed, she was trapped together with many others. After eight hours, rescuers pulled her out from underneath the rubble. A rod struck the left aspect of her physique, and her proper kidney was additionally broken within the accident. Since she will not sit or stand for lengthy durations, she hasn’t been capable of take any jobs because the incident.
“Typically the ache is so intense that I can’t even breathe,” Parul mentioned. “The psychological agony retains me awake at evening. I don’t wish to endure this struggling anymore.”
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