The global apparel industry should undertake drastic measures to ensure industrial safety and proper wages for the workers affected by the collapse of the Rana Plaza building near Dhaka. The death toll in the Bangladesh tragedy has crossed 1,050 and rescue workers continue to recover more bodies from the rubble.
These innocent workers were forced to work at an unsafe building that collapsed due to faulty construction. This reflects the worst form of neglect of human lives by a global industry that thrived on modern-day slavery and makes a mockery of the civilisation that stands on certain fundamentals such as labour laws and human rights. The garment factories at Rana Plaza are a living testimony of modern-day slavery. Are they death traps or killing fields?
Although the primary responsibility of the tragedy lies with the local building owner, contractor and the garment factory owners, international garment-buying houses, retailers and brand owners cannot avoid responsibility. Consumers will look for the right apparel at the cheapest price. The industry doesn’t have to match this by killing workers. How many more lives will it take to make the industry safe and humane? International garment-buyers should seek greater safety, health and hygiene for workers before placing orders. Price of a human life is more than that of a shirt. Lives should not be short-changed for profits. International garment-buyers could force the industry to change.
