Victims still left in the lurch

Victims of the Tazreen Fashions fire are yet to receive proper compensations even three years after the disaster at the factory in Savar killed 112 workers and left hundreds injured.

The Tazreen Claims Adminis-tration Trust fund brokered by the International Labour Organisation was formed just last week to raise compensations from retailers and brands.

Victims received meager financial support, from the prime minister's fund and different donors in the aftermath of the nation's worst industrial blaze in the garment sector, but the retailers that bought products from the factory are yet to pay anything. 

As the tragedy unfolded on November 24, 2012, most of the workers at the factory could not escape the burning floors of the nine-storey building, most of which was built unlawfully, as the exit gates were kept locked to “maintain security” and check “theft” by the workers.

Some workers were burnt alive, some died of smoke inhalation, and others tried to escape through the exhaust-fan vents and jumped off the floors. 

The compensations received by Tazreen fire victims ranged between Tk 50,000 and Tk 150,000, said Sirajul Islam Rony, a former member of the minimum wage board for garment workers.

“The retailers and brands have not paid any compensation, unlike in the Rana Plaza building collapse,” Rony said.

Some workers received more compensation than others, due to philanthropic activities of individuals and donors, he added.

The disaster, coupled with the Rana Plaza collapse, was a key catalyst in improving workplace safety, as many stakeholders took up the cause in the wake of the twin tragedies, he said. 

“We want the government, ILO, retailers and brands to follow the ILO convention on industrial accidents and give payments based on future earnings of the workers,” said Nazma Akter, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation, a platform for garment workers.

“If the ILO convention is followed properly, the victims will receive a substantial amount, like the victims of Rana Plaza building collapse did,” Akter said.

“We want Delwar Hossain, owner of the Tazreen Fashions, to be brought to justice, as many workers have lost their lives and many are still suffering from mental and physical trauma,” Akter said.

Since the twin disasters, the garment industry saw broader reforms, and the government also amended the labour law to allow for freedom of association. The Accord, Alliance, and the government also inspected some 3,500 garment factories for structural integrity. 

Following the industrial accidents, the US government suspended the generalised system of preferences, a preferential trade scheme, for Bangladesh due to poor workplace safety and labour rights.