Inditex, New Look compensate Smart victims

Spanish clothing giant Inditex and British fashion retailer New Look yesterday provided Tk 4.6 lakh in compensation to the families of seven dead and 22 injured workers of Smart Export Garments.
Smart Export was executing orders of the two global clothing companies on a subcontract when a fire broke out at the factory on January 27.
The deceased workers' families received Tk 50,000 each and the injured workers Tk 5,000 each as initial compensation, said Roy Ramesh Chandra, general secretary of Industry All Bangladesh Council, a trade union that brokered the compensation deal.
Chandra, also a member of International Labour Organisation's governing board, said negotiations are ongoing to secure Tk 13.45 lakh for each dead workers and Tk 5 lakh with three months salary for each injured workers.
Some 313 workers have been listed who were severely injured in the fire for final compensation, according to Chandra.
“We have plans to give the final compensation to the workers at the end of this month,” he said, while urging the government to develop a fixed welfare fund for the garment workers.
The compensation was handed over by Jahangir Kabir Nanok, state minister for local government rural development and cooperatives.
“The government is very serious about ensuring welfare for the workers,” he said, while asking the affected workers to get in touch with the ministry.
“Get in touch with us and we will manage new jobs for you.”
Nanok further said a group with vested interests is at work to “sabotage” the country's export market.
Inditex on January 29 scrapped deals with its domestic agent Wonnover and Bangladeshi supplier Centex, who employed Smart Export Garments on sub-contract.