The collapse of the Rana Plaza factory building in Bangladesh is the worst ever industrial incident to hit the garment industry. On 24 April 2013, the Rana Plaza building came crashing down, killing 1,134 people and leaving thousands more injured. People all across the world looked on in shock and horror as media reports poured in revealing the true extent of the human toll. There were harrowing stories of survival, of people who had no choice but to amputate their own limbs in order to be freed from the rubble and survive.

The collapse of Rana Plaza brought worldwide attention to deathtrap workplaces within the garment industry. The public interest and media attention has resulted in more political pressure than ever before to effect change and has led to significant ground-breaking approaches to prevention and remedy, with the establishment of the binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the Rana Plaza Arrangement involving all major stakeholders, meant to compensate the survivors and the families of the killed workers.

The Rana Plaza Arrangement

It is true that no amount can make up for the loss of a loved one or the resulting physical and emotional scars inflicted on those who survived such a tragedy. But what is also true is that the survivors and victims’ families should be compensated for the financial and medical losses they sustained as a direct result of the disaster. After the disaster the Rana Plaza Arrangement was set up, which included a trust fund collecting contributions primarily from the 29 global brands that had recent or current orders with at least one of the five garment factories in the Rana Plaza building. Only after more than two years after the disaster and some vigourous campaigning could the last reluctant brands, such as Benetton, be convinced to pay an approriate amount into the fund and was the target of $30 million compensation reached.

Read more here: We won: the announcement of full compensation for the families affected by the Rana Plaza disaster. Three years on we released an update on where we stand now.

Despite the long campaign not all brands that were associated with production in one of the Rana Plaza factories paid up.

Source: Clean Clothes Campaign