Two years after the deadline factory fire at Tazreen Fashions in Bangladesh killed more than 100 people and injured more than 300 others, an agreement has been reached on how victims will be compensated.
IndustriALL Global Union, the Clean Clothes Campaign and retailer C&A, which had been manufacturing product at Tazreen, announced their agreement Monday, and C&A pledged to contribute “a significant amount” toward full and fair compensation for victims, and the final pledge will be made public once the plan is finalized.
The payment package will compensate for income lost and medical assessments and treatment.
Jyrki Raina, IndustriALL Global Union general secretary, said, “On the second anniversary of Tazreen, we are very pleased to say that compensation for the survivors and the families of victims is finally in sight. The outline agreement between IndustriALL, the Clean Clothes Campaign and C&A provides the principles for a compensation process to give much-needed financial assistance and allow survivors to get essential medical care.”
Walmart, Sears and Spanish department store El Corte Ingles were producing goods at Tazreen and, according to IndustriALL, only Hong-Kong based sourcing agent Li & Fung and C&A have so far paid into a compensation fund through the Bangladesh government. El Corte Ingles has reportedly made informal promises to compensate victims, but a public pledge has not been made.
“Now the agreement for a compensation scheme has been reached, we are calling on all the brands that sourced from Tazreen Fashions to pay into the fund. We welcome the lead taken by C&A and other brands must follow. The victims of this terrible tragedy have suffered long enough,” Raina added.
Details of the program are expected to be settled over the next several days, and according to an IndustriALL statement, “with the hope that compensation will finally be delivered.”