The International Trade Union Confederation Bangladesh Council (ITUC-BC) Saturday expressed deep concern over the death of 52 workers and injury of more than 30 in a fire at Hashem Food and Beverage factory in Narayanganj’s Rupganj.
ITUC-BC Chairman Anwar Hossain and Secretary General Md Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan demanded legal action against “the culprits as it appears that the authorities killed the workers in a planned way by blocking the exit of the factory and preventing rescuers from entering the building during the fire.”
The global trade union federation demanded compensation for deceased workers’ families, according to international standards; rehabilitation and compensation for the injured.
ITUC-BC said factory fires are recurring due to inefficiency, negligence and indifference of the concerned authorities. It urged the government to form a judicial inquiry committee against all those, directly and indirectly, responsible for the incident.
Also, the global trade union federation called for making the results of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments’ work on anomalies of the factory – especially the recruitment of child workers – public.
Source: United News of Bangladesh