(en) France, Organisation Communiste Libertarie - Bangladesh, Hundreds of workers killed - The violence of capitalism - The House of Cards - The building collapse in Savar (fr)

Around 9 pm, Wednesday, April 24, an eight-storey building collapsed in Savar, an 
industrial suburb of Dhaka. In two minutes the structure of Rana Plaza has become a mass 
of rubble, twisted metal, machinery and body crushed and imprisoned. The building housed a 
shopping mall on the lower floors and five garment factories located in between the third 
and the eighth floor. The people in the neighborhood described the collapse as an 
earthquake deafening. The horror of the disaster emerged rapidly, with thousands of 
textile workers, mostly women inside the building, the local people who rushed to spot 
could see body parts crushed in the rubble and hear calls for help from the ruins. ---- 
The first arrived on the scene were mainly local workers, relatives of those who were 
trapped, colleagues of garment workers in the neighborhood workshops or other sectors, 
drivers of rickshaws [pedicab motor], the workers stores, etc..

Quickly began desperately trying to reach survivors, using all available tools and forming 
chains to move the rubble as best they could. When the emergency services arrived, they 
continued to contribute to relief efforts for the enormity of the disaster became apparent.

It is believed that more than 3120 workers in five plants were present in the building 
when it collapsed. While many were saved, there are about 315 dead with more than 1,500 
injured, many seriously injured, and these numbers will certainly increase. In a country 
with a long history of similar accidents, collapse of Rana is the worst industrial tragedy 
ever recorded in the country.

Why?

The reasons for this massacre are sadly predictable and in the cost equation for the 
periodic loss of life of workers and effective measures of safety and health at work, the 
least expensive option always wins. For capitalists concerned - the owners of factories 
and international buyers to the brand Western clothes - it's all-in-fact rational. 
Everyone involved knows that the deaths in the workplace, in factory fires and building 
collapses are inevitable in the current conditions in Bangladesh - and that these 
conditions contribute greatly to low labor costs, the pricing and profit levels. The 
country is the provider of the cheapest in the world clothing. Details of the disaster 
show how this logic at work ...

Rana Plaza Building - Tuesday, April 23 . Workers are asked by management to leave their 
factories after the appearance of cracks in the pillars, floors and walls. (There is also 
information reporting that workers refused to continue the work and went out). The 
appearance of cracks was reported on a local television channel. The building owner, Sohel 
Rana, said later that an engineer said that the structure of the building was safe and 
that workers should return to work the next day.

Wednesday, April 24. Workers are back for the 8-hour shift. At about 9:00 there is a 
sudden shock - with the ground moving like during an earthquake and loud noise - and in 
two minutes the eight-storey building collapses, killing, maiming and trapping thousands 
of people. Local people rushed to the site and immediately begin the desperate rescue efforts.

Mahmudur suddenly felt a jolt. In an instant, he noticed that his colleagues were running 
in all directions, screaming. It took some time to understand Mahmudur that something 
sinister was going to happen. He barely made ??it with others, 6 or 7 meters towards the 
stairs as the building began to collapse, giving the feeling of a lift down. "Darkness has 
completely covered the place with thick clouds of debris. I heard screams around me. My 
heart began to beat, " said Mahmudur, a quality inspector Ethar Tex Ltd on the fifth 
floor. "I'm lying next to a pillar, thinking that maybe I was going to die. We would be 
roasted inside " , he added. The roof was twisted and collapsed on him, leaving a space of 
one meter above it. http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/inside-the-hell/

Why most workers returned reluctantly in the building despite the dangers?
industry probably pays the lowest wages in the industry worldwide. Most had several weeks 
of salary arrears and were threatened with dismissal if they refused to return. Once 
workers are laid off, it becomes difficult to recover unpaid wages, this is one of the 
most common sources of conflict in the garment industry. Some workers have regular 
deductions from salary of three days to have missed a day of work.
however, the direction of a local bank branch, which is located on the ground floor of the 
shopping center had taken into account the security concerns and evacuated the premises in 
order to avoid injury.

How to structure a dangerous she could be built?
This is a common phenomenon in Bangladesh. A combination of corruption / bribery, 
kickbacks, lack of regulation and the pure capitalist greed in a young booming industry 
mean that it is all too easy to construct buildings with a summary architecture , 
materials too cheap and inappropriate sites. The capital Dhaka is full. And Dhaka region 
is highly vulnerable to earthquakes, so if / when a major earthquake, statistically 
probable hit Dhaka, the scenario will probably Rana Plaza multiplied across the entire 
city (1). ..

The story of Rana Plaza illustrates a micro-level, the cowboy capitalism of the real 
estate nightmare Dhaka. A few years ago the father of Rana emigrated to the city and 
worked in a small mustard mill. In 2003, he began to trade in the land. Rana received a 
small plot of his father when he created the "Rana Oil Mill" in a tin shed. Just behind 
the plot was a large pond. Rana has intimidated the owner to sell him. These two parcels 
of land became the site of the fatal Rana Plaza.

Alongside his career in land grabbing, Rana also entered local politics:

Rana became a political activist and a part of Awami League to power under the direct 
patronage of the main local leaders. "Sohel Rana is known as a big arm Awami League in the 
region and maintains youth gangs," has said another local boss. "Savar The area is known 
for drug trafficking and all kinds of illegal activities conducted by several gangs. The 
extortion, drug dealing and illegal trading of land is part of the activities of these 
gangs " , he added. Other local sources also said that Rana maintains youth gangs in the 
area of Savar organizes anti-opposition demonstrations. It is mainly used by the local MP 
Murad Jong to maintain its dominance in the commercial areas of Savar. Rana has hoarded 
wealth in the last 10 years. It has another four-storey market Savar and a house in the 
neighborhood. It has two brick kiln Sarisabari [another suburb of Dhaka] and recently it 
has taken over several acres of land in the area. 
http://www.thedailystar.net/beta2/news/beyond-law-all- along /

Rana got planning permission in 2008 for a five-storey structure has been built properly. 
The construction was not supervised by architects or engineers to verify its quality. 60% 
of the building was built on the site of the pond he had acquired and was filled, 
threatening the stability of the structure from the outset.

In 2010, Rana political career progressed and he is now host to a local Juba League, the 
youth movement of the ruling Awami League. With increased political clout, he then felt 
free to add three more floors at the Plaza, but without a building permit or retaining 
walls. The workers said that sometimes the building was shaken by tremors and shaking when 
operating generators. However, at the time of collapse, greedy Rana wanted to add a ninth 
floor this house of cards.

The response of workers

As mentioned above, garment workers were among the first rescuers on site. Many have also 
donated blood for the victims overwhelmed hospitals of the city.
Thursday, April 25, fearing problems, bosses of the main industrial areas of Dhaka have 
closed many factories in other places workers are out and made ??marches of solidarity 
with the victims of Rana Plaza to protest against their working conditions dangerous. 
Hundreds of thousands of workers have barricaded several major roads for several hours, 
fought against the cops and vandalized factories. Two factories and several shops were 
torched. A smaller group of 1,500 workers, was able to pull away and was the seat of the 
direction (illegally built) of the BGMEA [Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Association], 
the federation of employers in the garment industry, the bombing stone building with 
windows and destroying vehicles.
Workers demand action against the owners of factories and Rana. Friday, April 26, clashes 
between the families of the victims and the cops have occurred on the site of Rana Plaza 
because of frustration with the slow pace of rescue operations hampered by the lack of 
modern rescue equipment. 2,500 people have been rescued so far. Hundreds of workers are 
also involved in clashes in several other parts of the city, with more than 200 cars 
vandalized. The police responded with tear gas and rubber bullets. As "a precautionary 
measure," the BGMEA has announced that all garment factories will remain closed for the 
weekend.

Aftermath

The usual statements of concern, regret, sympathy, compensation and insurance reforms will 
be held back by those who profit from the carnage: the government, the owners of the 
garment, foreign buyers and Western commercial channels. The employers' federation in the 
making, BGMEA, emphasize again that this accident is exceptional and that measures are 
taken to continuously improve the safety of the workplace. The Government reiterates that 
construction standards and their application to improve. Yet the current own headquarters 
BGMEA was illegally built on stolen land , and is therefore in breach of any planning 
permission and is environmentally destructive of wetland ecosystem in which it is located. 
Sustainability of its construction was nevertheless authorized by successive governments.
However, a recent decision stated that it will be demolished:

The High Court in its observation, said: "There was a huge fraud behind the construction 
of the building. [...] This is part of the illegal land grabbing, at least, "said the 
Court http://bdnews24.com/business/2013/03/19/bgmea-bhaban-is-cancer- in-hatirjheel-project /

With this incident, following the recent disaster of the fire Tazreen (2) Western 
companies that provide with the clothing industry will try to limit the damage to their 
brand image. They will exhibit as Primark, their involvement in organizations such as the 
"Ethical Trading Initiative," largely irrelevant and cosmetics, which aims to promote 
safety standards throughout its supply chain. But the limitations and shortcomings of 
these bodies are obvious:

At least two garment factories in Rana Plaza had spent audits on international labor 
standards and safety in a European trade organization which made recommendations specific 
security workshops, but did not assess the stability of the building that sheltered. (3)

But nobody wanted to impose any requirement that suppliers threatens unbeatable prices 
they enjoy. Primark, Benetton, Wal-Mart and all the rest know why prices are so 
"competitive" and want to keep it that way, as evidenced by the fact that in recent 
decades, they were happy to let these conditions exist and to benefit. Factory owners and 
real estate speculators are never prosecuted for these deaths. Thousands of injuries and 
deaths that occurred during fires and factory collapses are simply a factor of minimal 
cost for the next season's fashion ready-to-wear and maintaining profitability

Red Marriott

on April 26, 2013

Source: Libcom
[Translation: XYZ OCLibertaire]
___

NOTES
(1) Most of the buildings in Dhaka are usually made ??in areas of more stable clay soil. 
But with the rapid expansion of the city, many new buildings were built in areas of black 
soil softer with much less bearing capacity in the soil. In the boom of unregulated, 
thousands of buildings, multi-storey building, was quickly built with inadequate 
foundations, inferior materials and poor design. ... if an earthquake measuring 7 on the 
Richter scale struck the city of Dhaka, that result in the death of at least 131,000 
people because of the fragile and defective structure of residential buildings and 
shopping centers. ... http://newsfrombangladesh.net/view.php?hidRecord=321603 2) See our 
previous article: 
http://libcom.org/news/death-trapped-burning-cage-ashulia-inferno-271120123) As further 
evidence, intentionally or not, the essentially cosmetic nature of these bodies; Two 
Bangladeshi factories that were in the building, and suffered labor losses during its 
collapse, have been validated by an audit conducted by the Social Business Compliance 
Initiative (BSCI) [initiative social compliance of the business] was created a decade ago 
by the Foreign Trade Association headquartered in Brussels, an organization that includes 
about 1,000 retail merchants like Adidas European AG, Esprit Holdings Ltd. and Hugo 
BossAG. The group said that its auditors are not building engineers and did not take into 
account the state of the building when they did the controls. It is up to local 
authorities to ensure that the construction and infrastructure are secure. "It is very 
important not to expect too much from the social audit," said Lorenz Berzau, the Director 
General of OIOS. "The OIOS and other initiatives help to improve the situation," he said 
"But it's a long road lies ahead. " 
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324474004578445991168551584.html

In addition

The textile and clothing (ready-to-wear) is the main industrial sector of Bangladesh which 
starts in the cotton fields and ends in all the cities of the developed West, in stores 
brands like Gap , Walmart, H & M, Benetton, Mango, El Corte Ingles, Joe Fresh, Primark, C 
& A ... the list exceeds the forty companies operating primarily in North America, Europe, 
Australia ...

For three decades the industry is constantly expanding because of labor costs and the 
wider work of the lowest world. Salaries range from $ 35 to $ 70 (26 to 52 euros), the 
workshops have no security and buildings that host either. Wage increases in recent years 
in India, Vietnam, China, factories and made more competitive Bangladeshi workshops wages 
are three times lower than in India, Vietnam, half that Pakistan and Cambodia ...

Over the last 10 years thousands of workers (often workers) were killed in fires, 
accidents, collapses workshops.
The latest was within 6 month, 24 November more than 110 workers are killed in a fire at a 
plant operated by the company Tazreen Fashion Ltd. (a subsidiary of Tuba Group has 7 
plants) in the industrial suburb of Ashulia. Again, it was a vertical mill, in a 9-storey 
building. The fire started on the ground floor and quickly spread to the floors again, the 
workers were trapped again foremen have prevented workers out, saying that the fire alarms 
were triggered, were defective and that nothing happened. The tissues are inflamed and 
more than 1,000 workers were trapped in this hell without exit, with only three steps. 
Those who did not die jumped into the void, or have managed to make the rope ladders with 
fabric rolls, or riding on the roof of the building where some have been rescued by 
firefighters.

The price of a life? Set at $ 1200 compensation. But still not paid. The main customers 
Tazreen Fashions Ltd? Thirty companies including 6 French.

The workers' revolts tend to become more frequent and increasingly massive. In April 2012, 
a great social movement took place in the industrial zone of Ashulia, north of Dhaka 
involving tens of thousands of workers. They demanded wage increases of 50% and better 
working conditions, especially concerning safety. Violent protests have rocked the capital 
then, making a hundred injured. Three hundred factories closed, dozens of them were 
damaged, burnt vehicles, highways blocked. They have not been heard.

During the fire of November 2012 new workers spontaneously stopped working, more than 200 
plants have been stopped and closed, thousands of strikers gathered.

Saturday, April 26, for the fourth consecutive day, workers' demonstrations were held in 
most cities, especially in the huge suburbs of Dhaka (Savar, Ashulia ...), Chittagong 
(port and second largest city) to demand the arrest of the owners and shop owners and Pana 
Piazza. Rallies, blockades of roads, highways, intersections, dozens of cars on fire ... 
The access to the Chittagong port area were blocked, where several events were held at 
least three fire trucks. In the industrial suburbs of Dhaka, processions have clashed with 
police and were able to close several textile factories that worked because employers had 
refused to grant the busy weekend as requested by the employers' federation. For its part, 
the government deployed for the first time the border guards (military) in the capital. 
Several units were sent to protect the textile and garment factories.

At a press conference on Saturday, the Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (LSIB) said 
that at least 906 workers died in accidents in 2012 and due to work-related violence, 
three times more than the 301 registered deaths in 2000. In 2012, 708 workers died in 
accidents in the workplace, while violence has caused 198 deaths in the same year.

Apparently both patrons of the Rana Piazza factories were arrested in the morning and two 
engineers. A third boss is preparing to go to the police in the evening. The owner of the 
collapsed building, Sohel Rana, is still at large. The latest figure (Saturday night) 
indicates that at least 340 workers were killed in the collapse of the building. 900 
people are missing.

XYZ On April 27, 2013