14 May 2022, Mumbai:
Nine years on and big names like Levis and IKEA are still putting their factory workers' lives at risk
May 15th marks nine years since the signing of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. So far, the trailblazing, legally binding agreement has protected over two million garment workers by making sure 1,600 factories in Bangladesh meet safety requirements, but Levis and IKEA refuse to sign.
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The Accord came as a response to the devastating Rana Plaza building collapse in Bangladesh, April 2013, which saw 1,138 garment workers lose their lives due to incredibly unsafe factory conditions.
It took this collapse to finally get brands to come to the table and negotiate a legally binding agreement, which workers, Clean Clothes Campaign, and other advocacy groups had been calling for for years.
Today, 173 brands have signed the updated agreement, the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry – including fast fashion giants like H&M, Inditex (Zara), Fast Retailing (UNIQLO) and PVH (Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein). This new version, which commenced in September 2021, allows for expansion to other countries that also have a history of ongoing violations.
This new Accord can make workplaces safe for workers in the global garment and textiles supply chain by establishing independent inspections, remediation, complaint mechanism, and safety committees in factories that supply to international brands and companies. “10 years ago Pakistan lost over 250 lives in the Ali Enterprises factory fire.
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We still have no legally binding agreement that forces brands to take action in favour of workers' safety and prevent something horrific like this from happening again. The Pakistani garment and textile sector is in need of an Accord, like in Bangladesh, where brands can be forced to come to the table and listen to the needs of the workers they employ.” - Karamat Ali, Executive Director of The Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research (PILER).
Despite the unquestionable need to protect workers, some notable names, which are active in countries with demonstrable safety problems, are still missing from that list. Brands such as Levi’s and IKEA, that pride themselves on sustainability and workers' rights, have refused to sign the accord so far risking the safety of workers in the supplying factories.
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