German MPs dissatisfied with Rana Plaza compensation

A three-member delegation of the German parliament has expressed dissatisfaction over non-payment of adequate compensation to the victims of the Rana Plaza building collapse even one and a half years after the incident.

“It's a shame for everybody -- factory owner, international buyers and the government as the victims have not received the compensation as per the commitments given to the workers after the accident,” delegation leader Dr Sascha Raabe told reporters at Lakeshore Hotel in Dhaka yesterday.

It is a shame as the authorities are yet to pay the promised compensations even though these were small compared to the loss and pain suffered by the victims, said Raabe, member of German parliament's committee on development aid.

The German MPs believe that everyone from the international companies to the Bangladesh government shares the shame of the Rana Plaza tragedy, the worst building collapse.

He said it was a shame that the European companies did not pay their promised compensation while no-one took responsibility for the building collapse site to make it 'a decent place'.

The delegation visited the erstwhile Rana Plaza in Savar, a modern garment factory fully equipped for worker safety, met trade union leaders and several RMG factory owners -- all to get impression of the working conditions of Bangladeshi workers.

The delegates also met the survivors of the building collapse at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed, which receives funds from German Development Cooperation.

Even though some good progress has been made under the Sustainability Compact, an agreement signed by the European Union, Bangladesh, the US and the International Labour Organisation in July 2013, there is still need for effective enforcement of the Bangladesh Labour Act and ensuring full freedom to engage in trade unions, the delegation said.

Freedom of association, job protection, protection of workers and trade unions from intimidation or discrimination, ensuring minimum wage and ensuring all workers have the same rights are critical for strengthening partnership between the owners and workers, Raabe said.

“We came here because we have big responsibility for the workers who are producing clothes which we have on our skins,” he said.

“This is the time for our visit, when international camera is not focused here anymore,” he said referring to the global media attention after the collapse.