Outrage isn't enough: 7 years on from the Rana Plaza disaster, here's how we can protect the people who make our clothes

When the Rana Plaza factory collapsed on 24 April 2013 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, killing 1,134 garment workers, there was outrage across the world. Major global fashion brands denied responsibility, claiming they didn’t know if they had been producing clothes there; retailers including Mango and Benetton were later linked to the factory. The disaster led to demands for greater transparency from retailers about where their clothes were being made, and safer conditions for the garment workers making them. 

The situation in Bangladesh 

Seven years on, the coronavirus pandemic has put garment workers in Bangladesh (the world's second-largest garment exporter behind China) back in the spotlight. The necessary shuttering of stores around the world has seen retailers cancelling orders worth over $3billion, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, affecting more than two million workers. Factories have been left struggling to pay wages, forcing hundreds to break lockdown orders to take to the streets in protest. Meanwhile, at least 10,000 workers have been laid off, local groups report. 

“Our workers have made [these international fashion brands] profit for years, but when we need their support, they run away from their responsibility,” Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Centre for Worker Solidarity, tells Vogue. “If these brands did not cancel their orders, the factory workers would not be losing their jobs.”

“I’m losing around $3million from cancelled orders,” says Mostafiz Uddin, owner of the Denim Expert factory in Chittagong and founder of the Bangladesh Apparel exchange. While he has managed to pay his workers’ wages this month, he’s calling for brands to honour their contracts, to ensure he can continue paying their wages: “We feel helpless; we don't have any income, but we still need to pay workers.” 

Following pressure from industry leaders and activists, brands including H&M, Zara and Nike have agreed to pay for orders that have already been produced. But a number of major fashion retailers have not made such commitments, according to the Worker Rights’ Consortium. Others are delaying payments, or demanding discounts for pre-existing orders.  

Just as in many other countries around the world, there’s also been issues with implementing the Bangladeshi government stimulus package. At the end of March, it was announced there would be a $588m package to help the garment industry, but this is yet to reach factory owners. 

Manufacturers say that even when they are able to access the loan scheme, it will not be enough to cover workers’ wages for one month. “Right now, [the bailout] is not getting to suppliers or workers,” says Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights’ Consortium. “This makes it all the more vital for every brand and retailer to pay in full, and on time, for the goods they have ordered. The refusal of corporations to pay their bills is jeopardising the livelihoods of millions of workers.” 

Garment workers are the most vulnerable 

Even before the coronavirus pandemic, garment workers—who earn an average of $110 a month—were already struggling to make ends meet, with many living off loans and unable to afford healthcare. “This is really a dire situation; no money means no food on the table, let alone medical and other costs,” Akter says, adding that desperation has forced workers to stage protests: “If they do not die from the virus, they will die of starvation or hunger.” 

With Oxfam estimating that 80 per cent of garment workers globally are female and aged between 18 to 25, it’s young women who are in a particularly vulnerable position during lockdown. “It is difficult for women who have children; the average wage is not enough for their monthly costs. They’re also at a risk of domestic violence while having to stay at home,” Akter adds, with research suggesting that two thirds of women in Bangladesh have experienced domestic violence.   

Meanwhile, some factories have been open during the pandemic despite workers feeling unable to properly protect themselves from the virus. “Workers are [being] forced into working conditions that are not safe; they can't social distance and they don’t have adequate sanitation facilities,” says Meg Lewis, campaign director at Labour Behind the Label. 

While great strides were made after the Rana Plaza tragedy in terms of improving the safety of workers, through the legally binding Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the current crisis highlights once again how vulnerable workers are. “Not enough has been done; many of the problems that were there before Rana Plaza are still there now,” Lewis continues. “Workers are not paid enough and are having to work in unsafe conditions.” 

The business model has to change

Factory owners and campaigners want brands to take a greater share of the responsibility, both during this crisis and going forward. “We could have easily overcome this situation if we had true partnership and cooperation,” says Uddin, who sees the current response by brands as a betrayal of the progress made since the Rana Plaza disaster. “I have my responsibility towards my workers, and I expect the same responsibility from our clients.” 

Activists on the ground say that new measures need to be taken to prevent future crises affecting garment workers on this scale. “This [pandemic] shows the world how unprotected our workers are,” Akter says. “In the longer-term, we expect brands, manufacturers and governments to be working together to have unemployment insurance for our workers [for] whatever emergency situation we might face in the future.”  

The current crisis also clearly exposes the issues with the fast-fashion model, which sees garment workers being paid little for producing vast volumes of clothing—that often ends up in landfill. “I believe the business model will have to change,” says Orsola de Castro, co-founder of campaign group Fashion Revolution, emphasising the importance for workers to be paid a living wage. “If garment workers were trained [so] the emphasis was on quality, rather than on quantity, hopefully the investors of tomorrow would see this is just as much a return on investment.” 

What we can do to help 

To get brands to address the current situation, Fashion Revolution has created a simple email template that you can use to directly contact your favourite retailers, asking them to pay for orders that have already been placed. You can also sign a petition set up by campaign group Remake (which has received more than 8,300 signatures at the time of publishing) and donate to funds to support garment workers via the Garment Worker Covid-19 Relief website.

In the longer-term, consumers can continue to hold brands to account, by questioning who makes their garments and supporting a slower fashion model. “At the end of the day, consumers have the power,” Uddin says. “If they start to ask brands questions and boycott unsustainable retailers, our lives will be changed.”

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