WELCOME TO THE ARCHIVE (1994-2014) OF THE MAQUILA SOLIDARITY NETWORK. For current information on our ongoing work on the living wage, women's labour rights, freedom of association, corporate accountability and Bangladesh fire and safety, please visit our new website, launched in October, 2015: www.maquilasolidarity.org
The Maquila Solidarity Network, together with our international allies including the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC), the International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF), Workers Rights Consortium and the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF now IndustriALL) have regularly called attention to the need for structural measures to end the consistent and ongoing worker rights violations in the Bangladeshi garment industry.
As we near the end of 2014, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh reports that it has completed safety inspections in 1,100 apparel factories covered by the Accord, and more than 500 corrective action plans have been approved to date. The inspections are overseen by Brad Loewen, a fire inspection engineer formerly employed by the City of Winnipeg, Canada.
On November 24, the second anniversary of the Tazreen factory fire in Bangladesh, the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) and the Global Union IndustriALL announced that they had reached agreement with the European retailer C&A on a system for delivering long-term compensation to the families of the 120 workers killed and the 300 workers seriously injured.
On November 18-21, members of the MSN team travelled to Hong Kong to participate in the Clean Clothes Campaign's 2014 Global Forum on Strategies and Structure for the international labour rights movement.
Over fifty human rights, religious, international development, trade union, women’s, teacher, student, community and investor organizations have released an Open Letter calling on the Canadian government to publicly urge Canadian companies whose apparel products are made in Bangladesh to contribute generously to a trust fund for the approximately 2,500 workers injured and the families of over 1,100 workers killed in the Rana Plaza building collapse.
Over fifty human rights, religious, international development, trade union, women’s, teacher, student, community and investor organizations have released an Open Letter calling on the Canadian government to publicly urge Canadian companies whose apparel products are made in Bangladesh to contribute generously to a trust fund for the approximately 2,500 workers injured and the families of over 1,100 workers killed in the Rana Plaza building collapse.
The Open Letter also requests that the Canadian government offer to match all corporate and other contributions to the Trust Fund, and to encourage the Bangladeshi government and industry association to increase their contributions and ensure their public accountability.
Over fifty human rights, religious, international development, trade union, women’s, teacher, student, community and investor organizations have released an Open Letter calling on the Canadian government to publicly urge Canadian companies whose apparel products are made in Bangladesh to contribute generously to a trust fund for the approximately 2,500 workers injured and the families of over 1,100 workers killed in the Rana Plaza building collapse.
The Open Letter also requests that the Canadian government offer to match all corporate and other contributions to the Trust Fund, and to encourage the Bangladeshi government and industry association to increase their contributions and ensure their public accountability.
More than a year after one of the worst industrial disasters in modern history, most of the international brands using factories in the Rana Plaza building prior to its collapse have failed to provide the full compensation they owe the survivors.
April 24th marked the one-year anniversary of one of the most devastating industry tragedies in history. Yet, despite global outrage at the number of unnecessary worker deaths and injuries suffered as a result of this preventable disaster, most of the survivors and families of those killed are still waiting for just compensation.
March 24: One month before the one-year anniversary of the Rana Plaza building collapse, the survivors and families of those killed can finally register claims for compensation with the Rana Plaza Trust Fund which would entitle them to an advance payment toward their claim by April 24.