Collections will be made across council sites on Friday, May 17 for those affected by the deaths of over 900 workers in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
These deaths, caused by the collapse of a building which housed garment factories making clothes for Primark, Matalan, Mango and other major brands, has caused shock and anger across the world.
Tower Hamlets Joint Trade Unions and the Mayor have joined forces in partnership with War on Want, to establish a fund to show solidarity with the garment workers.
War on Want have been working for many years with the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF) in Bangladesh to campaign for improved safety standards in clothing factories there.
Please show your support by donating generously and by supporting the petition launched by Amirul Haque Amin, President National Garment Workers Federation NGWF and co-ordinated in Britain by War on Want to demand that UK high street brands take responsibility for this tragedy by paying full compensation to the workers and their families and commit to action to ensure disasters like this become a thing of the past. The petition can be downloaded here .
Statement on Bangladesh
From Office of the Mayor of Tower Hamlets
For immediate release – 25 April 2013
Mayor Lutfur Rahman urges urgent action to protect garment workers in Bangladesh
Lutfur Rahman, Mayor of Tower Hamlets, has issued the following statement on the Bangladesh factory collapse tragedy.
Mayor Lutfur Rahman said:
“My thoughts, prayers and deep condolences are with the victims and their families who were killed or injured by the collapse of the garment factory in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
This tragic incident once again highlighted the serious concerns about the conditions and poor safety standards that many garment factories operate in Bangladesh.
Over 300 garment workers have been killed with hundreds more injured or missing. The figures are likely to rise as the full scale of the tragedy unfolds. This is a human tragedy that was entirely avoidable.
Multi-national firms operating in countries like Bangladesh, have a corporate social and moral responsibility, to ensure that they work with factory owners and the authorities to improve working conditions and prevent further tragedies.
I call on the authorities in Bangladesh to work more closely with workers, trade unions, factory owners and multi-nationals operating in Bangladesh, to do everything possible to improve safety standards and protect the safety of factory workers in the country.
I also urge the authorities in Bangladesh to investigate the circumstances surrounding this tragedy; find ways to compensate the victims and their families; and ensure that those found responsible for any negligent for these deaths, face full force of the law.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
For information about this statement contact Numan Hussain, Political Advisor to the Mayor, on 07508 352 023 or email numan.hussain@towerhamlets.gov.uk
Mayor Lutfur Rahman 