News
After Rana Plaza: ILO's response
Since the tragedy in the Rana Plaza building on April the 24th of 2013, the ILO launched a US$24.2 million, three-and-a-half year programme to support implementation of the National Tripartite Plan of Action and improve working conditions in the ready-made garment (RMG) sector. Key elements are already being implemented, including building and fire safety assessments; labour inspection reforms; and occupational safety and health, rehabilitation and skills training.
The ILO is working with the government of Bangladesh to set up a national Employment Injury Insurance (EII) scheme, in order to spread the risk across all the employers at the national level. This type of scheme, adopted by numerous countries across the world, costs normally less than 3 per cent of the total wage bill.
The ILO also provided technical advice to the government’s Minimum Wage Board, which made recommendations on the wages of garment workers late last year. The monthly minimum wage was revised to $68, up from $38 before the revision, which was the lowest among the major apparel exporting countries in the world. The revised wage is still lower than countries such as Cambodia and Vietnam, but is a step in the right direction.
Here, a compilation of the last news regarding the development of the Rana Plaza issue:
- News related to the garment industry in Bangladesh
- Progress on labour rights and factory safety in Bangladesh, but ILO calls for further improvements
- ILO, EU, Bangladesh and US to take stock of achievements in Bangladesh
- Sandra Polaski: "important improvements still required in many areas"
- Post Rana Plaza: A vision for the future, ILO
- Workplace injury insurance must be part of Rana Plaza legacy, The Daily Star
- After Rana Plaza: Bottom Up Not Top Down To Ensure Workers Safety, Social Europe Journal