Primark, an Irish clothing retailer, is set to give $1 million in short-term financial aid to at least 4,000 workers and relatives of the deceased who worked in the
five garment factories housed in Rana Plaza which collapsed on April 24.
The company has decided to provide short-term aid, equivalent to three months wages, because processing of long-term compensation will take time and in the meantime some of these people are suffering real hardship, Primark said in a press release.
Under the short-term financial assistance package, Primark agreed with IndustriALL Bangladesh Council to complete the registration of close to 4,000 former employees (or their dependents) of the Rana Plaza.
The registration began last week with the assistance of a number of government and non-governmental organisations and individuals including the principal of Savar Cantonment Public School and College, BRAC Bank, students of Dhaka University, Standard Chartered Bank, police and local administration of Savar and General Officer Commanding of 9th Division of Bangladesh Army.
Shamima Nasrin, a labour activist, told the FE Saturday the company handed over Tk 15,000 each to the families of 3,027 victims through Bkash while Tk 1,000 in cash was provided by the company as transportation allowance to each on June 7 at Savar Cantonment School.
Nasrin, also a member of IndustryAll, said the company would provide more Tk 15,000 to each of the injured members or their families this week.
Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice-president Md Shahidullah Azim said initially Primark had distributed the money through the labour leaders.
He also requested the buyer company to come forward with a handsome amount as the compensation for the Rana Plaza victims.
In another press release, Primark said the company began a programme of building surveys in Bangladesh in order to assess the structural integrity of factories from which it sources garments.
Primark is committed to inspecting all factories in Bangladesh producing products for the company as part of the assessment programme.
The structural surveys will assess planning records, including structural drawings where available, and will assess building integrity, evaluate the standard of construction and materials, and check other issues such as the location and loading of heavy machinery.
Primark has commissioned an expert team of structural and civil engineers from a specialist engineering and architectural firm to carry out the assessments.
‘We have already an extensive and established fire safety programme which we have now extended to include these surveys on structural integrity. We believe the accord on building and fire safety that we recently signed, along with other brands in Geneva, is the way forward to sustainable positive change in Bangladesh,’ the release said.
-With New Age input
