[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 60 (Thursday, April 23, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2394-S2395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   BANGLADESH RANA PLAZA ANNIVERSARY

  Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. President, April 24 marks the 2-year anniversary of 
the Rana Plaza building collapse which resulted in the death of over 
1,130 Bangladeshi workers and the injury of approximately 2,500 more. 
To date, this remains the single largest disaster of its kind. Since 
2013, many in the governmental, nongovernmental, private, and business 
sectors have pledged their financial resources and time to addressing 
the numerous issues and problems surrounding the ready-made garment 
industry. Even though progress has been made, many promises remain 
unfulfilled, especially in providing Bangladeshi workers the rights 
they deserve.
  As a long-term U.S. ally, I want Bangladesh to be prosperous because 
only through a growing economy that delivers shared prosperity to its 
people can stability be ensured.
  The country's garment industry is now, and will be for the 
foreseeable future, the engine of economic growth as it accounts for 
close to 80 percent of foreign exchange earnings. The United States, 
which remains the single largest country buyer of Bangladeshi garments, 
has an important responsibility to ensure that those garments are made 
in a way that do not put people's lives at risk and that fairly rewards 
workers for their labor.
  Domestically, while there has been progress in conducting safety 
inspections and hiring additional inspectors, much work remains in 
providing for freedom of association. On this front, I have been very 
disappointed by the role played by the government of Bangladesh. The 
record over the past 2 years shows that the Bangladeshi government has 
failed to keep promises it made to our Government and to the European 
Union.
  It has failed to pass a labor law in line with international labor 
standards and has not promulgated implementing regulations for the law 
that exists.
  Workers still have no rights to form unions in Export Processing 
Zones and once again the government is saying it has no power to change 
regulations because of contractual obligations to companies.
  The government of Bangladesh has made little progress with regard to 
the inspection of well over a thousand factories that it agreed to 
inspect for fire safety.
  The government of Bangladesh personnel responsible for investigating 
unfair labor practices are not doing so and some police have refused to 
accept cases filed by labor organizers who experience violence from 
management-hired thugs. Such antiunion behavior on the part of 
employers is common throughout many developing countries but in the 
case of Bangladesh, it is compounded by the government's actions which 
actively abet such behavior. For that, the government of Bangladesh 
must be held responsible.
  There needs to be a clear, consistent and transparent union 
registration process. While approximately 300 factory-level garment 
unions have been registered in the last 2 years, more than 100 unions 
that filed for registration have been rejected by the government, many 
for arbitrary or unfair reasons.
  The people of Bangladesh need mechanisms where workers can swiftly 
get the justice they deserve when their rights are violated. 
Bangladeshi authorities need to properly investigate, address and, if 
necessary, penalize employers for unfair labor practices to end the 
culture of impunity that surrounds employer resistance to legally 
protected union activity.
  So as my colleagues can see, much work remains.
  Until substantial progress is made, the Office of the U.S. Trade 
Representative has rightfully decided to keep in place the suspension 
of Bangladesh's Generalized System of Preferences--GSP--trade benefits 
with the United States. I support this decision.
  The ``Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh'' and the 
``Alliance on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh'' are two private 
sector initiatives made up of American and European retailers which 
have conducted safety inspections in more than 2,500 factories. As a 
result, some factories have adopted new safety practices and have made 
physical improvements such as the installation of fire doors to make it 
safer for workers to evacuate when fires occur. These inspections have 
resulted in the full or partial shutdown of a number of unsafe 
factories. The private sector has a critical role to play in changing 
the RMG culture in Bangladesh and I strongly urge both coalitions to 
focus on how workers' rights can be improved in the coming years.
  Aside from ensuring that improvements are made to prevent another 
Rana Plaza, it is critical that full compensation is paid to the 
victims and their families. As of today, the ``Rana Plaza Donors Trust 
Fund'' has received roughly $21 million from a variety of donors, 
including both large global brands and the Bangladeshi Prime Minister's 
Fund. While $21 million sounds impressive, the fund is suffering from 
an approximate $9 million shortfall. Because of this, some victims and 
their families have only received approximately 70 percent of the money 
they are entitled to. I am happy to hear that Benetton has recently 
agreed to donate to the Fund. I hope that other companies that had 
business at Rana Plaza come forward and contribute, or continue 
contributing, their fair share.
  It is encouraging to see different elements of the international 
community come together to support the garment factory workers in 
Bangladesh. Real progress in the RMG sector will require continued 
vigilance on the part of the international community. Earlier this 
year, we were once again saddened by the news of yet another tragedy 
involving the collapse of a building in Bangladesh. On March 12, in the 
town of Mongla, a cement factory collapsed and tragically killed eight 
people while injuring approximately 60 others. Whether in a garment 
factory or cement factory, we must remain vigilant to ensure that 
workers' safety and workers' rights are top priorities of the U.S. 
government and international buyers in Bangladesh.

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