Bangladesh Free Fire Download

[Gabelo Camphire]

Today, we have terminated the relationship with that supplier," America's biggest retailer said in a statement Monday. "The fact that this occurred is extremely troubling to us, and we will continue to work across the apparel industry to improve fire safety education and training in Bangladesh."

The blaze on Saturday was one of the deadliest fires at a garment factory in Bangladesh and highlighted how the country's garment factories often ignore safety in the rush to supply major retailers in the U.S. and Europe. More than 300 people have died over the past six years in garment factory fires in the South Asian country.

Survivors of the weekend fire said an exit door was locked, fire extinguishers didn't work and apparently were there just to impress inspectors, and that when the fire alarm went off, bosses told workers to return to their sewing machines. Victims were trapped or jumped to their deaths from the eight-story building, which had no emergency exits.

On Tuesday, the Bangladesh national flag flew at half-mast in all government buildings as the nation mourned the dead. The country's garment factories also closed as the government announced a day of national mourning to honor those killed in the fire.

On Monday, about 15,000 Bangladeshi workers protested blocks from the gutted building in the Dhaka suburb of Savar, demanding justice for the victims and improved safety. Some 200 factories were closed for the day after the protest erupted. Demonstrators blocked a major highway, threw stones at factories and smashed vehicles.

Labor leaders hope outrage over the latest disaster will prompt change. Tahmina Rahman, general secretary of the Bangladesh Garment Workers Federation, said the government needs to do more to punish factories for safety lapses.

Wal-Mart did not say why it dropped the Tazreen factory. But in its 2012 Global Responsibility report, Wal-Mart said it stopped working with 49 factories in Bangladesh in 2011 because of fire safety issues. And online records appear to indicate the Tazreen factory was given a "high risk" safety rating after an inspection in May 2011 and a "medium risk" rating in August 2011.

For more than a day after the fire, Wal-Mart said it could not confirm whether it was still doing business with Tazreen, which was making T-shirts and polo shirts. The uncertainty illustrated how major retailers in the U.S. and Europe rely on a highly complex chain of foreign manufacturers and middlemen to keep their shelves stocked.

Tazreen Fashions is a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, a major Bangladeshi garment exporter whose clients include Wal-Mart, Carrefour and IKEA, according to its website. Its factories supply garments to the U.S., Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands, among other countries. The Tazreen factory opened in 2009 and employed about 1,700 people.

Mahbub said it was the lack of safety measures in the building that made the blaze so deadly. "Had there been at least one emergency exit through outside the factory, the casualties would have been much lower," he said.

He said firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory and 12 more people died at hospitals after jumping from the building. Local media reported that about 100 injured people were being treated at hospitals.

"Managers told us, 'Nothing happened. The fire alarm had just gone out of order. Go back to work,'" Ripu said. "But we quickly understood that there was a fire. As we again ran for the exit point we found it locked from outside, and it was too late."

The deadly fire, which started at the Green Cozy Cottage Shopping Mall on Bailey Road late on Thursday, is the latest in a long list of fire catastrophes in cities across the Southeast Asian country in recent decades.

These fires often occur in densely populated workplaces such as busy markets or overcrowded factories. According to data published by the Bangladeshi government in November, Dhaka, one of the world's most densely populated urban areas, sees about five fire incidents every day. The causes of these fires are typically attributed to the disregard of safety measures by both building owners and business operators.

In June 2022, a major fire engulfed sections of an inland container depot near the southeastern port city of Chittagong. It took firefighters about four days to completely extinguish the fire, which had triggered a series of explosions.

About 50 people were killed, including 10 firefighters, and around 200 others were injured. Officials said the incident could have been caused by a container of hydrogen peroxide, which had been improperly stored.

Two months later, in August, another fire erupted in a plastics factory in Chawk Bazar, a densely populated market located south of Dhaka. The fire quickly spread to adjacent buildings, leading to the reported deaths of at least six individuals.

Women and children were among the 52 people killed in a massive fire that swept through Hashem Food Limited, a food processing company in the district of Narayanganj, south of Dhaka. Officials said the factory was built without proper authorization and lacked essential safety measures.

The tragedy prompted international organizations such as UNICEF to issue statements expressing concern about Bangladeshi children working in hazardous areas, where anti-child labor laws are disregarded.

In 2019, a series of fires claimed nearly 100 lives in Bangladesh. On the night of February 20, 2019, a massive fire tore through several multistory buildings in Chawk Bazar. The blaze originated at a warehouse that had allegedly stored highly inflammable chemicals illegally, and resulted in the deaths of at least 71 people and numerous injuries.

A month later, a fire ripped through a 22-story building in the capital, claiming the lives of at least 26 and injuring dozens. That same month, another fire caused extensive damage to a densely populated market area made up of hundreds of tin sheds, depriving hundreds of vendors of their primary source of income.

One of Bangladesh's most disastrous fires occurred in April 2013, when a fire tore through the Rana Plaza in Dhaka, a multistory building that housed factories producing clothing for some of the world's most renowned fashion brands.

The fire triggered the building's collapse, resulting in the deaths of more than 1,100 people and thousands of injuries. Just a year earlier, another garment factory in Dhaka was engulfed in flames, killing more than 112 people.

Widespread outrage and demands for change pressed leading global retail brands to sign international pacts to improve factory standards. The Bangladeshi government also responded by twice amending its labor law, in 2013 and 2018, to safeguard workers' rights and ensure safety in the workplace.

Several reports, including one published by consultancy McKinsey & Company in 2021, have highlighted the notable improvement in terms of transparency and sustainability in the country's garment sector.

However, many observers believe the risk remains high, even in the more scrutinized textile industry. In August, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association warned in an open letter that rising temperatures were heightening the risk of fire in garment factories, potentially leading to more disasters.

The agreement was designed by Bangladeshi and international unions together with other labour groups, making it unique in being supported by all key labour rights stakeholders, and signed by over 50 international brands and retailers, who agree upon a 5 year commitment to invest in safer factories.

The Accord is transparent as well as practical, the programme includes independent inspections by trained fire safety experts, public reporting, mandatory repairs and renovations financed by brands, a central role for workers and unions in both oversight and implementation, supplier contracts with sufficient financing and adequate pricing, and a binding contract to make these commitments enforceable.

Local unions: unions belonging to IndustriALL Bangladesh, including the National Garments Workers Federation (NGWF), Bangladesh Independent Garment Workers Union Federation (BIGUF), plus the Bangladesh Independent Garments Workers Federation (BIGWF) and Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (BRGWF);

Yes. We urge all brands and retailers sourcing from Bangladesh to commit to safe factories and sign the Accord. Read the document here and sign up sending your request to both Jyrki Raina, General Secretary of IndustriALL: JRa...@industriALL-Union.org and the contact email at the Bangladesh Accord Foundation: bra...@bangladeshaccord.com

Bangladesh has a long history of health and safety tragedies, such as garment factory fires and collapses, killing at least 1800 workers since 2005. The Accord is a programme which is specially developed for the specific situation in Bangladesh, based on many cases picked up by the organisations setting up the Accord.

However the parties recognize that workers in other countries are not working in safe conditions either. Therefore we believe that the principles and implementations of the Accord should serve as examples to develop safety programmes in other garment producing countries as well.

No. Companies should not abandon ship and move their production to other countries, where working conditions are just as bad (or worse) as in Bangladesh. Instead of leaving the Bangladeshi workers out in the cold, after receiving huge profits for years from the worker's hard labour, brands and retailers should take their responsibility for safe working conditions and commit to the Accord of Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.

The companies have signed up to develop a programme together with unions. Six representatives of Global Unions and six representatives of companies are putting together the design for an Implementation Plan by 8 July 2013. After that day inspections and trainings of management and workers will start. But the obligations that are outlined in the programme are already valid. This means that if unsafe conditions are identified in a factory, companies have to undertake the actions that are set in the accord.

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