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BANGLADESH / RANA PLAZA ANNIVERSARY
STORY: ILO / RANA PLAZA ANNIVERSARY
TRT: 2.47
SOURCE: ILO
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: NOVEMBER 2013, DHAKA, BANGLADESH
1. Various shots, Rana Plaza survivor Khaleda Begum working on a sewing machine
2. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Khaleda Begum, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“The building started trembling, there was lots of noise and I started running forward. After five or six steps, I could not see anything and I started falling down like an elevator. I was crying; the roof was so close that it was touching my nose and every time I breathed I could feel it on my face. We thought we were going to die and we were saying goodbye to each other.”
3. Tilt down, street view of Dhaka
4. Various shots, labour inspectors conducting inspection at a garment factory – checking structural, electrical safety of the building
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, Labour Inspector:
“If we find that there is a problem in a factory, then we will immediately vacate that building and stop all the activities and it will go directly to the review panel.”
6. Various shots, labour inspectors continue the inspection at the garment factory
7. Med shot, labour inspectors discuss with the factory staff
8. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Garment Factory Accounts Manager:
“It can help us increase our profitability, because we will be able to tell our buyers that our buildings are safe, and that there will be no problems with safety issues if they give us work.”
9. Various shots, workers exiting garment factory
10. Various shots, women workers sewing jeans in a garment factory
11. Various shots, labour inspectors conducting inspection at garment factory
12. Various shots, Rana Plaza survivors and relatives attend theatre counselling session
13. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammad Liton, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“I’m glad to be here and get back the confidence I had before the collapse.”
14. Various shots, garment workers at work
15. SOUNDBITE (English) Gilbert Houngbo, ILO’s Deputy Director-General for Field Operations:
“One of the challenges, quite frankly, is, moving forward: how do we really make sure that the fundamental rights for workers are put into place? At the same token, making sure that this vital sector for the economy, which has generated four million jobs, is still an important dimension for growth.”
16. Various shots, Khaleda Begum at work sewing dresses in a small shop
17. SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Khaleda Begum, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“I have enough courage and experience to run my own shop now. I have a strong will to do it and I will do it."
18. Various shots, garment workers at work
19. Wide shot, workers exiting garment factory
One year after the global garment industry's worst-ever industrial accident, the International Labour Organization (ILO) together with the Government of Bangladesh, employers, trade unions and the international community, are working together to address the root causes of the disaster and ensure a safe working environment for garment workers.
Khaleda was one of Bangladesh's millions of garment workers. She sews in a small tailoring shop in Dhaka. Khaleda is one of the lucky ones. She survived 16 hours trapped under the rubble of Rana Plaza. What happened that day is never far from her mind.
SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Khaleda Begum, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“The building started trembling, there was lots of noise and I started running forward. After five or six steps, I could not see anything and I started falling down like an elevator. I was crying; the roof was so close that it was touching my nose and every time I breathed I could feel it on my face. We thought we were going to die and we were saying goodbye to each other.”
Bangladesh's garment industry is vast and vital to the country's economy.
In the year since Rana Plaza, the government of Bangladesh, the garment industry, trade unions and the international community have come together to ensure higher standards of safety in the workplace and make garment workers more aware of their rights.
With the support of the ILO, teams of structural engineers, fire safety experts and electrical engineers are systematically inspecting ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh.
SOUNDBITE (English) Mehedi Ahmed Ansary, Labour Inspector:
“If we find that there is a problem in a factory, then we will immediately vacate that building and stop all the activities and it will go directly to the review panel.”
The inspections are organized by three major national and international initiatives created after the Rana Plaza disaster - the Accord, the Alliance and the National Tripartite Committee. They review the inspectors' recommendations and decide within 48 hours if the building will re-open, or not.
Employers are supportive, recognizing that inspections will have a positive impact on their businesses.
SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Garment Factory Accounts Manager:
“It can help us increase our profitability, because we will be able to tell our buyers that our buildings are safe, and that there will be no problems with safety issues if they give us work.”
Several other important changes are also underway in the industry. In the past 15 months, more than 130 trade unions have registered in Bangladesh; just two were created in the previous three years.
The national labour law has been amended, the government has upgraded the labour inspection process and has created nearly 400 positions for labour inspectors, whom the ILO will help train.
The government of Bangladesh, with ILO help, is offering coordinated support to survivors and their families, including counselling and referral services. One of the approaches uses theatre and role-playing to re-build survivors' confidence.
SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Mohammad Liton, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“I’m glad to be here and get back the confidence I had before the collapse.”
In the year since Rana Plaza, there has been progress. But sustained action is needed.
SOUNDBITE (English) Gilbert Houngbo, ILO’s Deputy Director-General for Field Operations:
“One of the challenges, quite frankly, is, moving forward: how do we really make sure that the fundamental rights for workers are put into place? At the same token, making sure that this vital sector for the economy, which has generated four million jobs, is still an important dimension for growth.”
Khaleda is leaving the trauma of Rana Plaza behind. She was trained by an ILO project to sew entire dresses. Her new skills are giving her more confidence, and a new outlook on her future. She wants to go into business for herself.
SOUNDBITE (Bengali) Khaleda Begum, Rana Plaza Survivor:
“I have enough courage and experience to run my own shop now. I have a strong will to do it and I will do it."
The coordinated response in Bangladesh, policy change, increased factory safety, and labour inspections and new awareness of workers' rights, are all directed toward a single goal: to ensure that a disaster like Rana Plaza can never happen again.
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