INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Major clothing retailer Best-Less has been accused of putting company profit ahead of the safety of Bangladeshi garment workers by declining
to sign a key international accord on worker safety and labour rights.The Rana Plaza disaster, 10 years ago on Monday, prompted outrage at
the abysmal safety standards in the Bangladesh factories supplying major clothing brands and retailers, leading to the establishment of a
cross-border agreement known as the international accord.Roughly 200 brands, including Just Jeans, Kmart, Big W, The Iconic and Mosaic
Brands have signed the accord, which has helped to fund nearly 56,000 inspections across 2,400 garment factories in Bangladesh
The accord has identified 170,000 health and safety issues and successfully remediated 91% of the problems.But major retailer Best-Less has
been singled out by Australian aid groups for its failure to join the agreement, despite sourcing a significant portion of its clothing from
Bangladeshi factories.The company has 20 factories in Bangladesh, accounting for one-quarter of its global sourcing, according to
appreciated the role of the international accord
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and harassment for joining unions
The international accord was expanded in 2021 to include more safety provisions beyond fire, electrical and structural inspections
The updated agreement was also expanded to include Pakistan.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
