A UN-backed scheme to compensate victims of Bangladesh’s Rana Plaza factory collapse is barely one-third full, despite pressure on dozens of western brands to assume some financial responsibility for one of the world’s deadliest industrial accidents of modern times, reports The Guardian. A year after the tragedy, which killed more than 1,100 workers and injured another 1,000, the scheme backed by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), a UN agency, has raised only $15m (£9m), well short of the $40m (£24m) target.
Of the 28 brands linked to the Rana Plaza factory complex by campaigners, only about half have paid into the fund. They include the British retailer Bonmarché, Canada’s Loblaw and Spain’s Mango and Inditex.
But pressure is intensifying on those brands who have not paid up, such as Matalan, the Italian brand Benetton and US retailer JC Penney. All are now thought to be considering making a contribution after months of stonewalling. Matalan is being asked for £3m.
Sam Maher, of the workers’ rights group Labour Behind the Label, said: ‘For Matalan and its owners, £3m is pocket money. For those families struggling to survive after losing not only family members but much-needed income it means the difference between remaining destitute or being able to rebuild their lives.’
The biggest contributor is the British fashion chain Primark, which is paying out a total of $12m (£7m) in support for victims, $8m (£5m) of which is counted as part of the ILO-backed scheme. It began making payments directly to workers this month, while other applications for compensation from the communal scheme have only just got under way.
Benetton, which had sourced from within Rana Plaza for some time and has acknowledged that some unauthorised orders were in production at the time of the disaster, has chosen to back a separate victim support scheme led by BRAC. It says it did so because it wanted to move quickly to support those affected. However, the Clean Clothes Campaign has called on Benetton to pay
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-With New Age input
