There was a meeting that took place last week in Geneva. A big
meeting. An important one. It was one that had nothing at all to do
with the situation in Syria. Did you hear about this meeting in
Geneva? Chances are, you didn’t. To say it was an under-reported story
would be generous.
It was a meeting to work out compensation for the victims of the Rana
Plaza disaster: the garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh that
collapsed last April leaving over 1,100 dead, and another 2,000
injured.
You may remember the feelings of helplessness, of anger and, above
all, of outrage that many of us in the global community felt as a
reaction to the tragedy in Bangladesh at the time. Over 1,000 dead,
with western manufacturers complicit.
Many questions were asked in its aftermath. How could the garment
trade allow such an enormous industrial accident to happen in this day
and age? How could we, the consumers who buy what the garment industry
is selling to the tune of billions of dollars a year, allow this to
happen with our sanction?
There were calls for boycotts and action to be taken. Indeed, the
outrage and shame led many in the west to vow to change their shopping
habits altogether.
Well, now, it’s five months later. The Rana Plaza disaster is off the
front pages. It’s yesterday’s news. And after the grand promises of
addressing their practises at the time of the tragedy, how many of the
29 implicated global companies invited to Geneva to discuss setting up
a fund for the victims do you think attended? 29? 25? 20?
Try nine. Less than a third even bothered to show up, and only one,
Ireland’s Primark, actually contributed to the fund. Skipping out?
Walmart, Sears, Kmart, JC Penney, Disney, and Benetton, among others.
Canada’s Loblaw, owner of the “Joe Fresh” label, was at the meeting.
Good on them, you might say. Although they have yet to truly open up
their chequebook, too.
And yes, the wheels of international justice do grind slowly. Big
corporations may have different ideas and timeframes when it comes to
compensation for the victims of the factory collapse in Bangladesh.
It doesn’t matter if you’re not sure where the process is going, or
you claim you’ve made other arrangements for worker safety in
Bangladesh, or, more cynically, the story is off the front page and
the world has moved on. You might be banking that no one will notice
if you’re not there. But it’s just bad PR. Actually, it’s more than
bad PR, it’s morally wrong.
Here’s hoping the big garment companies stop dragging their feet on
this issue. Here’s hoping those of us – that is to say, nearly all of
us – who buy clothes made in the developing world start demanding more
respect, rights and dignity for the workers that produce them. Most of
all, here’s to justice and speedy compensation for the thousands who
were injured or lost loved ones last April at Rana Plaza.
Really and truly, Walmart, Sears, Kmart, JC Penney, Disney, and
Benetton, it’s the least that you can do.
-UNB
