Bangladesh Building Collapse Kills More Than 500
May 04, 2013
Relatives mourn as they look for garment workers.
From VOA Learning English, this is In The News.
Labor groups, businesses and people around the world are condemning the human cost of a building collapse in Bangladesh. More than 500 people are confirmed dead after the building failure on April 24th.
In the capital, Dhaka, tens of thousands of textile workers ended a week-long protest and reported to their jobs on Thursday. The collapsed building had housed several clothing factories. The workers had launched the protest to demand better working conditions.
The $20 billion dollar textile industry in Bangladesh makes up 80 percent of the country’s exports. Bangladesh’s Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association says it is working to prevent future incidents. Association representative Shahidullah Azim says his group is working with government officials. He says the team will move immediately to report unsafe conditions to the government.
However, clothing workers and activists say they have heard similar promises before. Just six months ago, more than 100 people were killed in a factory fire in Dhaka.
The day before the building collapse, an engineer warned of cracks in the structure. Some concerned business owners had sent workers home.
Alonzo Suson works with the Bangladesh Center for Workers' Solidarity. He is not sure whether working conditions will change when most textile workers earn less than $50 a month. He tells of a 16-year-old who was told she would lose a week’s pay if she failed to enter the factory.
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