TUAC NEWS
TUAC - OECD Watch side-event: Compensating the victims of Rana Plaza - What role for the OECD and the National Contact Points?
24/06/2014
- TUAC-OECD Watch: Compensating the Victims of Rana Plazapdf
Before the start of the OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct that that takes place on 26-27 June in Paris, TUAC and OECD Watch are holding a side-event on
Compensating the victims of Rana Plaza - What role for the OECD and the National Contact Points? today.
TUAC and OECD Watch have just released a joint publication detailing the current state of play and outlining what needs to be done by the governments and enterprises present at this week’s meetings and beyond. You can download the publication here.
More than a year after the factory building collapsed in Bangladesh, just under $17m (£10m) has been paid into a compensation fund backed by the International Labour Organisation, well short of the $40m it is aiming to raise to help support the injured and the families of those killed.
Trade unions and NGOs from around the world call on governments gathered at the OECD meetings on Responsible Business Conduct to support the victims of the Rana Plaza disaster and make the following statement:
“Particular attention is needed to meet commitments made to
ensure that the families of those killed and injured workers are
fully compensated for their losses. We welcome the establishment
of the “Rana Plaza Arrangement” as a mechanism for delivering
full and fair compensation to those with legitimate claims to such
payments. We call on all companies in our countries that had a
relationship with factories located in the Rana Plaza building, and
all those with significant ties to Bangladesh, to immediately pay
a contribution, proportionate to their ability to pay, into the Rana
Plaza Trust Fund. Payments must be collectively sufficient to meet
the $40 million needed to pay in full claims confirmed through the
Rana Plaza Arrangement process.”
At the Global Forum, TUAC and trade union participants will particularly make calls:
- To Ministers and OECD Ambassadors to include in the ministerial declaration a statement setting out their collective commitment to work with brands linked to Rana Plaza, as well as brands with significant ties to Bangladesh, to resolve the funding crisis and meet the Trust Fund target of 40 million USD. Governments should follow-up after the meeting directly with the brands headquartered in their countries and ensure they make contributions proportionate to their ability to pay.
- To National Contact Points (NCP) delegates to support the inclusion of a similar statement in the NCP declaration.
- For due diligence for the textile- and garment sector in resolving human rights risks already identified (worker safety, wages, trade union rights) and the issue of access to remedy, including financial compensation, will be discussed.