May 14, 2013

The Maquila Solidarity Network welcomes the precedent-setting announcement by Loblaw Companies (owner of the Joe Fresh brand) that it has joined more than a dozen leading international apparel brands and retailers in signing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh with the Global Unions IndustriALL and UNI and Bangladeshi unions.

“In Canada, Loblaw Companies Ltd. earlier announced plans to compensate the victims of the Rana Plaza disaster, and their families,” said Lynda Yanz, Executive Director of the Toronto-based Maquila Solidarity Network. “We’re very pleased to see that the company has now taken the critical step towards preventing future disasters by signing this Accord.  

“Loblaw’s leadership stands in sharp contrast to the approach of other North American retailers and brands like Gap Inc. and Wal-Mart, who have actively opposed any binding commitments in Bangladesh even while the body count in Bangladeshi factories mounts,” said Yanz. So far only PVH Corp and Loblaw have signed the Accord on this side of the Atlantic.

“MSN is calling on other Canadian and US companies to join the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh before tomorrow’s deadline in order to ensure that further preventable disasters do not take place,” she said. 

“There is no other credible alternative to this agreement, and inaction is not an option.”

Background on the Accord:
The Accord represents a comprehensive approach to ensure that preventable disasters like the one that took more than 1100 workers’ lives at Rana Plaza on April 24 no longer plague the Bangladeshi garment industry. This Accord sets out a program of independent and transparent inspections, an informed and active role for workers and trade unions, health and safety training for workers and management personnel, effective health and safety committees, and the right of workers to file complaints and to refuse unsafe work. It is backed by time-bound remediation plans, effective dispute resolution procedures, and real repercussions for suppliers that refuse to improve conditions.

Most importantly, it has the support of large international retailers and brands, as well as the trade unions on the ground and internationally. The International Labour Organization is supporting the agreement and will play a role in its implementation.

Text of the Accord: http://bit.ly/11Bbcr4