Rana Plaza Donor’s Fund
RMG workers to get Tk 50,000 each by April 15
The Rana Plaza compensation coordination committee has decided that a total of 3,639 workers who worked at the five garment factories housed in the collapsed building at Savar will get Tk 50,000 each from the Rana Plaza Donor’s Trust Fund by April 15. At a video conference on Tuesday, the committee comprising representatives of International Labour Organisation, IndustriAll, global retail brands and Bangladesh garment owners decided that the workers or their dependents would get the compensation.
The committee, however, decided that a total of 581 workers of New Wave Bottom, one of the five garment factories, would get the money on March 28 from Primark, a global brand, and the workers of the four other garment units and their dependents would get the compensation by April 15 under the supervision of the coordination committee.
‘Apart from the support, those who were killed or injured in the Rana Plaza building collapse will get compensation according to the section 121 of the ILO convention,’ Roy Ramesh Chandra, secretary general of IndustriAll Bangladesh Council, told New Age on Wednesday.
He said the British clothing retailer, Primark, announced to pay out $9 million in long-term compensation to the 581 workers, or their families, from New Wave Bottoms, Primark’s supplier, which was based on the second floor of the building.
Out of the 581 workers, 200 will be compensated considering dead. Of the 200 workers, 153 were died and 47 went missing in the disaster.
A total of 227 workers of the factory will be given long-term compensation as injured.
Ramesh said that the long-term compensation from Primark would be given by May.
He said that considering the gravity of injury and the loss of earning years the compensation amount for the injured workers would be at least Tk 50,000 and highest Tk 90 lakh and Primark had already agreed to pay the amount.
Ramesh also said that for long-term compensation the compensation coordination committee would start collecting information on dead, missing and injured workers.
The compensation amount will be set based on the number of dependents of victims, loss of future earning years and inflation and the amount for the dependents of a deceased worker will be not less than Tk 15 lakh, he said.
‘That process will take three to six months to finish,’ Ramesh said.
ILO country director Srinivas Reddy said, ‘A timeline will be set for all beneficiaries’ claims to be prepared and received within 3-4 months from the start date next week and to be processed within approximately 6 months.’
A first batch of the workers of New Wave Bottoms will receive a first instalment of compensation directly from Primark and second batch of beneficiaries will receive a first instalment of compensation through the Trust Fund following processing of their claims by April 15, Reddy said.
‘All eligible beneficiaries will receive an advance payment in amount of Tk 50,000 before April 24, which will be deducted from the total award due to each beneficiary at time of processing,’ he said.
The Trust Fund, supported by the ILO, has been collecting contributions from brands sourcing from Bangladesh in general and Rana Plaza in particular.
The Fund was opened at the beginning of February, with an initial target of $10 million, believed to be the amount needed to pay first instalments to all the potential claimants.
Currently, the fund has $8 million while Primark would give $1 million to the fund.
About $40 million is needed to pay 3,000 workers or the families of those killed in the collapse on April 24 last year.
At least 1,133 workers were killed and over 2,500 injured in the incident.
Immediately after the building collapse, a High Court bench issued a rule suo moto, asking for the institution of a committee composed of the 9 Infantry Division General Officer Commanding and people from other agencies concerned to decide the amount of compensation.
Following the High Court direction, the 9 Infantry Division instituted a committee to set the compensation package for Rana Plaza victims.
In late January, the committee set the amount of damages at Tk 14.5 lakh for each of the workers who died or went missing.
-With New Age input
