Focus should shift to safety in workplace


Last Tuesday, officials noticed large cracks in the Rana Plaza building in the Bangladeshi suburb of Savar, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. This particular building housed shops, offices and several factories which produced clothing for brands, such as Mango, Primark and Joe Fresh.

Danny Razzano | Daily Trojan

Danny Razzano | Daily Trojan

 

These cracks were large enough to be considered dangerous and police quickly evacuated everyone inside of the building, NPR reported. That is, except for the thousands of workers in the five garment factories who occupied the upper-three (illegally-constructed) floors.

As of Monday, the search for survivors was called off in what has been called the deadliest incident in Bangladesh’s garment industry. According to the Huffington Post, the death toll has reached 380 with 900 workers missing somewhere in the rubble.

The tragedy is indescribable: media reports of the screams of those trapped in the building, begging to be ripped from the rubble before a fire broke out and a realization that people died earning $37 a month.

According to the New York Times, Bangladesh’s $20-billion garment industry has boomed in the past decade — second only to China. Retailers, such as H&M, Primark, Joe Fresh, Mango and Walmart, all produce their products in the tiny Asian country.

Last November, a fire killed 112 workers, also in Bangladesh. Afterward, many companies, including Walmart, declared that they would look into worker safety, according to the Times.

No matter how much corporations talk, unless action is taken, the same mistake will happen again. Somewhere between the desire to save a few dollars and the rush to produce garments, corporations have forgotten the importance of basic human needs.

There were many problems that led to Tuesday’s disastrous events. First, the top three floors in which the garment factories were stationed were illegally built, according to NPR. Sohel Rana, the owner of the building, allowed the factory workers to continue with their day even though the rest of the building had been evacuated. And, as Bloomberg reported, Rana was arrested for trying to flee the country a few days after the collapse.

The Rana Plaza is only one of the many factories that didn’t meet legally required standards in a work building. According to Bloomberg, about half of Bangladesh’s garment factories don’t even come close to those regulations.

Owners of these factories, as well as the corporations that hide them, are easy to blame. With billions of dollars behind its name, a company such as Walmart could afford to house its factories in at least decently constructed buildings. And $37 a month? The thought of Americans earning under $20,000 a year is enough to cause a ruckus.

In 2009, the International Labor Rights Forum noticed violations at Walmart factions that included workers being paid up to 30 percent below their country’s minimum wage, pregnant females being denied maternity leave, timed bathroom breaks and lack of overtime payments.

By exploiting the little man, owners of these factories see the big bucks in possessing as many large factories as possible, with little regard to the fact that they are actually employing people — not just money-makers.

Factories should meet basic standards: a safe construction, an organized management system and paychecks that read more like salaries than an American teenager’s allowance. Bangladesh might have safety regulations, but somehow the Rana Plaza’s inspection slipped through the cracks.

The most blame, however, must be placed on us: the consumers. We continue to purchase items that we know are made in sweatshops. We can’t pretend as if we’re not aware of the trials and tribulations suffered by humans around the world. It’s ignorant to ignore the fact that our new shirt or new shoes could have been made by a small child in a dark factory, given pennies as a salary.

It might seem difficult to get involved — not everyone has the time to be a part of something such as the Student Coalition Against Labor Exploitation here at ’SC. It is never difficult, however, to take a stand.

Luckily, USC has started to make the transition to guarenteed sweatshop-free apparel, allowing students to rock cardinal and gold without feeling guilty. But in the case of other retailers, it’s important to know where your clothes come from.

The Labor Rights Forum has an online database in which visitors can see which brands currently utilize sweatshops. By boycotting these brands, consumers can let large corporations know that it is not OK to exploit people for the sake of money.

Other websites, such as GreenAmerica.org, give tips on how to find sweatshop-free clothing.

Only by putting the pressure on these corporations can such tragedies be avoided.

 

Sheridan Watson is a junior majoring in critical studies. She is also the Editorial Director of the Daily Trojan.