US retailers have tapped two former senators to lead a plan to improve safety in Bangladesh after a massive factory collapse, but activists on Friday called the effort a public relations stunt.
The initiative comes as US retail giants Walmart and Gap resist a safety agreement backed by a growing number of European brands that would require independent inspections and empower unions in the South Asian country.
Associations of retailers from the US and Canada said that George Mitchell, the former US Senate majority leader who brokered a peace agreement in Northern Ireland, and former senator Olympia Snowe would guide discussions on “a new program to improve fire and safety regulations” in Bangladesh.
The Bipartisan Policy Center, a Washington think tank cofounded by Mitchell, said on Thursday that the group of retailers would release a plan early next month.
The effort comes after 1,129 workers died after the nine-story Rana Plaza crumbled on April 24 despite previous safety concerns, shining a light on factory conditions in Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment producer.
Walmart, the world’s largest retailer, and Gap say they are already making their own investments to ensure top-notch safety standards.
Walmart, which has committed to inspect all 279 of its Bangladeshi suppliers and publish the results, said in an e-mailed statement that it hoped to work with stakeholders “to improve the standards for workers across the industry.”
“Taking part in the development of this broader safety plan with other brands, retailers and the Bipartisan Policy Center, building upon our previously announced commitments, is part of that work,” it said.
Gap, which last year promised US$22 million for factory improvements, supports “a plan for long-lasting change for the garment industry in Bangladesh,” said Bill Chandler, the company’s vice president for global corporate affairs.
Labor activists say US retailers oppose the so-called Accord on Fire and Building Safety because it would set a precedent of binding commitments and union representation, potentially exposing them to lawsuits.
IndustriALL Global Union, which advocates for garment workers internationally, called the initiative “a sorry public relations exercise” at a time when more companies are signing on to the binding accord.
“The kind of voluntary initiative being put forward by Walmart and Gap has failed in the past and will again fail to protect Bangladeshi garment workers,” said Jyrki Raina, the group’s general secretary.
Scott Nova, executive director of the Washington-based Worker Rights Consortium, said Walmart and Gap wanted to show that they are taking action “without actually incurring any obligation” and regretted the roles of Mitchell and Snow.
“I think it’s unfortunate that those individuals are lending their names to such a cynical exercise,” Nova said. “I think it’s possible that they don’t fully understand, because their background is not in this issue, what these companies are really up to.”
US Representative Grace Meng, who took companies to task after the Rana Plaza tragedy, said the effort “was a good first step.”
“We hope that it will finally end the long greedy practice of US companies putting profits ahead of safety,” she said.
More than 40 companies, including major European brands such as Benetton, H&M and Mango, have agreed to join the safety accord. Only three US companies have signed — PVH, whose brands include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen; Abercrombie & Fitch; and Sean John, the clothing line of “Puff Daddy” rapper Sean Combs.
Republican US lawmakers on Friday criticized US President Joe Biden’s administration after sanctioned Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei unveiled a laptop this week powered by an Intel artificial intelligence (AI) chip. The US placed Huawei on a trade restriction list in 2019 for contravening Iran sanctions, part of a broader effort to hobble Beijing’s technological advances. Placement on the list means the company’s suppliers have to seek a special, difficult-to-obtain license before shipping to it. One such license, issued by then-US president Donald Trump’s administration, has allowed Intel to ship central processors to Huawei for use in laptops since 2020. China hardliners
A top Vietnamese property tycoon was on Thursday sentenced to death in one of the biggest corruption cases in history, with an estimated US$27 billion in damages. A panel of three hand-picked jurors and two judges rejected all defense arguments by Truong My Lan, chair of major developer Van Thinh Phat, who was found guilty of swindling cash from Saigon Commercial Bank (SCB) over a decade. “The defendant’s actions ... eroded people’s trust in the leadership of the [Communist] Party and state,” read the verdict at the trial in Ho Chi Minh City. After the five-week trial, 85 others were also sentenced on
Conjoined twins Lori and George Schappell, who pursued separate careers, interests and relationships during lives that defied medical expectations, died this month in Pennsylvania, funeral home officials said. They were 62. The twins, listed by Guinness World Records as the oldest living conjoined twins, died on April 7 at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, obituaries posted by Leibensperger Funeral Homes of Hamburg said. The cause of death was not detailed. “When we were born, the doctors didn’t think we’d make 30, but we proved them wrong,” Lori said in an interview when they turned 50, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The
RAMPAGE: A Palestinian man was left dead after dozens of Israeli settlers searching for a missing 14-year-old boy stormed a village in the Israeli-occupied West Bank US President Joe Biden on Friday said he expected Iran to attack Israel “sooner, rather than later” and warned Tehran not to proceed. Asked by reporters about his message to Iran, Biden simply said: “Don’t,” underscoring Washington’s commitment to defend Israel. “We are devoted to the defense of Israel. We will support Israel. We will help defend Israel and Iran will not succeed,” he said. Biden said he would not divulge secure information, but said his expectation was that an attack could come “sooner, rather than later.” Israel braced on Friday for an attack by Iran or its proxies as warnings grew of