As the death toll reached 256, the owner of the collapsed Ranza Plaza building was in hiding, and the police and industry leaders were blaming him for offering false assurances to factory bosses that the structure was sound, leading to the decision to allow 3,000 workers return to work.
Pressure continued to build on Western companies that had promised after a deadly fire in November to take steps to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi factories that make the goods the companies sell. Activists combing through the rubble here have already discovered labels and documents linking the factories to major European and American brands, like the Children’s Place, Benetton, Cato Fashions, Mango and others.
PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger, and Tchibo, a German retailer, have endorsed a plan in which Western retailers would finance fire safety efforts and structural upgrades in Bangladesh factories — although they first want other companies to sign on.
Walmart has refused to join that effort. But, in January, it announced that it would demand that factories quickly correct any safety violations and would dismiss any contractor that uses unapproved or unsafe factories. Two weeks ago, Walmart pledged $1.8 million to establish a health and safety institute in Bangladesh to train 2,000 factory managers about fire safety.
On Thursday, the Bangladeshi authorities opened an investigation into the collapse, while the police filed negligence cases against the building’s owner, Sohel Rana, his father and the four factory owners. Bangladesh’s High Court also issued a summons for Mr. Rana, who is involved in local politics for the country’s ruling party, the Awami League. He has been ordered to appear in court next Tuesday.
The immediate question was why the garment factories on the upper floors of the Rana Plaza building in suburban Dhaka were even operating when the structure collapsed Wednesday morning. Industry leaders continued to point to Mr. Rana and what they said were his false charges that the structure was safe.
“Based on that, they ran the factories yesterday,” said Mohammad Atiqul Islam, the president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, in a telephone interview. He said his staff had told factory owners on Tuesday to stay closed until the building was inspected. “We had very clearly told the owners not to open.”
But analysts said that, based on past experience, there was likely to be plenty of blame to go around, with harried factory owners scrambling to fill orders under tight deadlines imposed by their Western customers.
“Even in a situation of grave threat, when they saw cracks in the walls, factory managers thought it was too risky not to work because of the pressure on them from U.S. and European retailers to deliver their goods on time,” said Dara O’Rourke, an expert on workplace monitoring at the University of California, Berkeley. He added that the prices Western companies pay “are so low that they are at the root of why these factories are cutting corners on fire safety and building safety.”
Numerous Western apparel companies issued statements acknowledging that they had used factories in the building and voicing their condolences.
Primark, a British retailer, confirmed it was using a factory on the building’s second floor and said it was “shocked and deeply saddened by this appalling incident.” Primark said it has been engaged for several years with nongovernmental organizations and “other retailers to review the Bangladeshi industry’s approach to factory standards.”
Loblaw, a Canadian retailer that markets the apparel brand Joe Fresh, said one factory produced “a small number” of Joe Fresh garments. In a statement, Loblaw said, “We are extremely saddened,” by the building collapse, adding that, “we will be working with our vendor to understand how we may be able to assist them during this time.”
Julfikar Ali Manik reported from Dhaka, Steven Greenhouse from New York and Jim Yardley from New Delhi.
Article source: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/world/asia/bangladeshi-collapse-kills-many-garment-workers.html?partner=rss&emc=rss