Saturday evening 24th November, whilst we were at home watching the usual frivolous Saturday night TV, a fire was racing through 9 floors of a garment factory in Ashulia just outside the capital of Bangladesh killing over 120 people.
The garment factory in Ashulia, operated by Tazreen Fashions had been said to of been making clothes for Wal-Mart, Disney, Sears and other major global retailers – some of whom claim they thought they had stopped doing business with the factory.
In various interviews with factory employees it has been reported that office management was telling workers not to evacuate immediately and to stay where they were. Witnesses claimed many workers lept from upper stories in a bid to escape the flames. Twelve workers died in hospital from injuries from falls.
A week ago the cause of the fire was unclear, this wasn’t the first of garment factory fires, however a guilty employee of Tazreen Fashion, admitted to setting fire to the factory for Tk 20,000 from an official of the factory.
In light of this just two days ago, less than a week after the fire, it was reported that three arrests of the factory supervisors have been made. The government has opened two inquiries, with more interviews with the survivors revealing they had been told by the supervisors not to move as it was just a routine fire drill. The second enquiry entails the rumours that in fact the fire exit doors were bolted shut.
These acquisitions and enquiries have been raised with suspicions that the fire was intentional, in order for the owner to receive the insurance compensation of Tk 18cr.
The factory blaze will make people look at the conditions and the safety once again of the workers producing clothes for the Western world.
Consumers will always opt for the cheap disposable fashion offered to us with uncertain provenance. Therefore, once again it comes back to the consumer. Will we take a stand for cheap clothing once and for all? I doubt it.
With factory incidents, mostly being fires, killing over 600 workers since 2006 in Bangladesh alone what more will it take to stop cheap labour and improving the safety and protection rights for factory workers?
I want to hear your views.
Lets start the debate!
Gabriella
Everything Ethics 