It happened again
- Details
- Published on Friday, 23 September 2016 07:45
- Written by editor
It happened again. 34 workers died after a Bangladesh factory that makes Nestlé products burned to the ground.
Corporations need to start taking worker safety seriously. Tell Nestlé and British American Tobacco to compensate the victims of the Tampaco Foils fire and pay for safety renovations so this doesn’t happen again.
A,
Earlier this month at least 34 workers died in a fire that ripped through a factory in Bangladesh. The fire was so fierce it took fire crews 36 hours to extinguish -- and rescue workers still couldn’t enter the building afterwards for fear it would collapse. Crews are still clearing through the rubble.
The facility manufactured packaging for Nestlé and British American Tobacco (BAT). This avoidable incident was yet another reminder that super-rich multi-national corporations like Nestlé still prioritize profit over people's lives, and aren’t doing enough to make sure their supply chains treat workers safely and fairly.
Corporate greed puts workers’ lives on the line every day -- and we can’t keep letting it happen.
The Tampaco Foils fire is the worst industrial disaster in the country since the horrendous Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013 -- where over a thousand workers perished. Now more than ever, we need global brands to commit to better oversight of their supply chains, to put an end to these unsafe working conditions.
In the aftermath of Rana Plaza, after massive public outcry from SumOfUs members and others around the world, dozens of companies came together to sign an Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. It was a huge victory for people power. We got major corporations to sign a legally binding five-year commitment to improve workers’ conditions and safety in Bangladesh.
The fire on September 10th proved that there is still much work to be done in factories in other industries. But we can help to ensure that happens. Together, we can call on Nestlé and other companies to improve working conditions in their factories and those throughout their supply chain, and ensure that the victims and survivors of this tragic fire receive full and fair compensation immediately. They don't need charity -- they need a proper Arrangement set up in the same way as done for Rana Plaza victims.
Thanks for all that you do,
Liz, Toni and the rest of the SumOfUs team
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More information:
Labour leader, rights group demand fair compensation to Tampaco fire victims, the Daily Star, Sept 19,2016
Bangladesh factory fire kills 23, injures dozens more, Reuters, Sept 10, 2016
Tampaco death toll rises to 33, Dhaka Tribune, Sept 13, 2016
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