The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has announced a three-year Worker Empowerment Program in Bangladesh to support labour rights, union organizing, and women's empowerment in the ready-made garment sector.

The announcement coincides with the second anniversary of the 24 April 2013 Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in Dhaka that killed over 1,100 workers and injured over 2,500.

International standards

“USAID's Worker Empowerment Program demonstrates the United States’ vigilance in promoting fundamental labour rights, including workplace safety and health, so tragedies such as Rana Plaza can be prevented in the future,” said Jonathan Stivers, USAID Assistant Administrator for Asia.

“We have partnered with the Government of Bangladesh, international donors, and the garment industry to empower workers by giving them a real voice in this vital sector and to reform labour laws consistent with international standards.”

Empowerring workers

The new Worker Empowerment Program aims to strengthen the capacity of independent workers’ organizations by empowering the workers in these organizations, and particularly women workers, with the skills and support necessary to protect their rights, promote their interests and improve conditions in their workplace and community.

This programme complements the existing Global Labor Program that trains workers on labour laws, provides legal support to workers, and assists workers in organizing and registering new unions. Since inception, this programme has registered nearly 300 new labour unions in the ready-made garments industry, covering more than 65,000 workers.

Disaster

Considered the deadliest garment-factory accident in history, Rana Plaza collapse was a structural failure in the Savar Upazila of Dhaka, Bangladesh, where an eight-story commercial building collapsed. It housed a number of clothing factories employing around 5,000 people, several shops, and a bank.

The shops and the bank on the lower floors were closed after cracks in the building were discovered. Warnings to avoid using the building after cracks appeared the day before. Garment workers were ordered to return the following day and the building collapsed during the morning rush-hour.

The Rana Plaza collapse has led to discussions about corporate social responsibility across global supply chains. Based on an analysis of the Savar incident, Wieland and Handfield suggested that companies need to audit products and suppliers, and that supplier auditing needs to go beyond direct relationships with first-tier suppliers.

www.usaid.gov