Bangladesh: 11 years post-Rana Plaza, corporate exploitation necessitates learning to develop our own strategies
"11 Lessons From 11 Years After the Rana Plaza Disaster", 23 April 2024
On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza building collapsed in Bangladesh killing 1,134 people and injuring approximately 2,500 more.
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Since that horrific day, workers have won binding, enforceable protections to make that rallying cry a reality. The Bangladesh Accord, now known as the International Accord, has received recognition around the globe for transforming basic workplace conditions for three million garment workers.
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Workers saw the warning signs that the buildings were crumbling around them. Yet poverty wages, lack of strong unions, and widespread repression made it so that most workers went to work, knowing the risks but unable to walk away. Global fashion brands also knew all too well the crumbling infrastructure and coercive conditions that were a consequence of their purchasing practices, but they chose to look away. Government regulators and inspectors prioritized their own pocketbooks over enforcing legal protections that might have been on the books.
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In the 11 years since the Rana Plaza collapse, we have learned some lessons
- Workers should be at the center of any program meant to protect them....
- Demands need to be enforceable in scope...
- Transparency is a strategic first step — but not an endgame in itself...
- Follow the money to make meaningful change possible...
- Strong enforceable agreements require strong worker organizations and unions...
- Worker-driven means deep investment in leadership development...
- Anticipate opposition, and be prepared to meet it...
- Be prepared to win...The massive public outrage at Rana Plaza created a moment in which campaigners were able to compel brands to sign the agreements.
- Stay true to scale...From the Accord, we can see the strength of having a strong program that is focused on a few key issues and builds on those successes over time...
- Bring the fight to the corporate decision-makers with a strong, broad base of allies...
- Strong campaigns keep building victories over time...
These lessons have been hard-learned over the past decades of organizing. And while the Accord is transformational, more is still needed. The demand for enforceable protections isn’t a flashy one. First and foremost, it’s about winning a world where workers can leave work, go home to their families, and go on to organize another day. There is immense pressure where life and death are on the line. It has taken a global coalition years to win workers the ability to enter workplaces without the fear that they’ll be crushed by crumbling buildings. Yet the fight goes on. Workers in Bangladesh are still fighting for decent wages and to protect their right to organize in the face of deadly repression. The still-unsolved murder of union organizer Shahidul Islam last year underscores the high stakes for those who speak up...