The workers who suffered serious injuries as well as the relatives of many deceased or ‘missing’ workers are living a miserable life though the charity fund at the Prime Minister’s Office is laying idle, observed speakers at a dialogue here on Sunday.
They urged the government for preparing a full list of the dead, injured and missing workers, and for quick and transparent steps to disburse the appropriate compensation to the victims and the relatives.
The dialogue was organised by leading think thank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) at Brac Centre Inn.
The draft of a CPD report, titled ‘Rana Plaza Tragedy and Beyond: An Update on Commitment and Delivery’, was also placed before different stakeholders of the readymade garment sector (RMG) present at the dialogue.
In his keynote presentation, CPD additional research director KG Moazzem showed although over Tk 100 crore has so far been collected at the PMO Fund, only Tk 18,85,60,720 has been spent.
No proper compensation or longer term aid was provided to most of the victims and the relatives, he said, adding that the number of severely injured workers has varied widely – between 500 as stated by Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS) and 850 as stated by Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
Only 40 workers received long term support – amounting Tk 10-15 lakh each – from the PMO, he added.
Moazzem also noted that initiatives for the compensation by foreign retailers and buyers are ‘halfway in progress’ duo to several uncertainties, including participation by retailers and suppliers, methods estimating the compensation and collection of funds.
The amount so far pledged by the foreign buyers and suppliers stands at about Tk 580 crore, which is only 50 percent of the amount required to disburse the proper compensation to all the affected, he added.
“The affected people need the money urgently for their treatment and rehabilitation, and we need an urgent resolution over the uncertainty about the disbursement of the funds. A detailed list of the affected must be prepared by the government,” he recommended.
Moazzem said, “The injured and the families of the identified dead bodies have somewhat of a basis to recover their rightful benefits, whereas the relatives of those missing have been completely deprived of any such provision.”
CPD distinguished fellow Debapriya Bhattacharya said, “The issue of the ‘missing’ workers is still covered with mist. It’s important to make it transparent.”
CPD is keenly watching the compensation of workers and the remedial measures taken by the government and the factory owners. “We must remind Accord and Alliances (two fora created by buyers and retailers to support the compensation and remediation) …we won’t simply be a spectator to their moves,” he said.
CPD will strictly watch over how much of the allocation is spent on workers, and how much for paying the staff appointed in this process, he added.
Speaking on the occasion, BGMEA president Atiqul Islam claimed that the buyers and retailers are fiddling with the country’s factory owners by imposing tough terms of references (ToR) as conditions to get the funds.
CPD chairman Rehman Sobhan, who chaired the dialogue, recommended an integrated drive by all the stakeholders to ensure the compensation, and to improve the safety standards in the apparel industry, he noted.
Source: UNBConnect