May 13, 2013

Canadian labour rights group calls on Loblaw and others to join them

The Maquila Solidarity (MSN) welcomes the decision of H&M, Inditex (owner of the Zara brand), Primark, C&A, Benneton, Marks & Spencer, Tesco and others to sign the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh with the Global Unions IndustriALL and UNI and Bangladeshi unions.

MSN is calling on Loblaw (owner of the Joe Fresh label), Gap, Walmart and other North American retailers and brands to also sign the Accord by a May 15 deadline and work together with trade union and labour rights groups to prevent further tragedies like the Rana Plaza building collapse from taking place. Members of Canada’s Weston family are founders of and major shareholders in Primark and Loblaw.

Products bearing the Joe Fresh label were found in the rubble of the building along with the bodies of over 1,100 workers. The website of one of the factories in the building listed Walmart Canada as a customer, though Walmart has denied that its products were made in the building. Although Gap products were not found in the building, the company was linked to previous factory disasters in Bangladesh in which dozens of workers lost their lives. Gap has steadfastly refused to sign the Accord despite on-again, off-again negotiations with trade union and labour rights organizations.

Two other apparel brands, PVH and Tchibo, have signed an earlier version of the Accord.  Today’s news brings the number of signatories to seven. MSN and other labour rights organizations will sign the Accord as witnesses.

According to MSN Executive Director Lynda Yanz, the Accord provides for independent safety inspections, public reports on investigative findings, safety training for workers and management personnel, the right of workers to file complaints and refuse dangerous work, mandatory repairs and renovations, and the obligation of brands and retailers to cover those costs and to terminate business with any factory that refuses to make necessary safety upgrades.

“In the wake of this horrible tragedy, it is now time for apparel companies to move beyond vague promises, business-as-usual self-regulatory schemes and hollow rhetoric, and to sign a binding safety agreement that can finally bring an end to the mounting death toll in Bangladesh,” says Yanz. “We are hopeful that the decision of these major buyers to sign the Accord will create the momentum necessary to bring more companies on board and to make fundamental change in how workers are treated in Bangladesh.”

More than one million consumers around the world have signed petitions calling on brands to take decisive action to prevent further factory deaths in Bangladesh.