Wednesday, April 24, 2013

END DEATH TRAPS!

► In today’s Washington Post — Building housing garment factories collapses in Bangladesh, killing at least 87, trapping more — An eight-story building housing several garment factories collapsed near Bangladesh’s capital on Wednesday, killing at least 87 people and trapping many more under a jumbled mess of concrete. Rescuers tried to cut through the debris with earthmovers, drilling machines and their bare hands.

Less than five months after a factory fire killed 112 people, the disaster again underscored the unsafe conditions in Bangladesh’s massive garment industry. Workers said they hesitated to go to work Wednesday because the building had developed such severe cracks the previous day that it had been reported on local news channels. Abdur Rahim, who worked on the fifth floor, said a factory manager assured them there was no problem, so they went inside.

The day after the enormous fire in Bangladesh in November, Kalpona Akter holds up a garment bearing Wal-Mart’s brand, “Faded Glory,” which she found in the ashes inside the Tazreen factory. (Photo by Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity)

EDITOR’S NOTE — Yesterday, Sumi Abedin, a Bangladeshi garment worker and survivor of the Tazreen fire that took the lives of 112 of her colleagues, and Kalpona Akter, executive director of Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity, were special guests at forums in Olympia and Seattle about ending death-trap factories there. Join these Bangladeshi workers TODAY (Wednesday) at 10 a.m. at the Renton Walmart, 743 Rainier Ave. S., as they take their message directly to one of the corporations responsible for producing clothing at such factories.

More of today’s news will be posted here shortly.

The Stand posts links to Washington state and national news of interest every weekday morning by 10 a.m.