...“The Rana Plaza collapse has shown that the traditional audits have failed workers, and that in the absence of a credible and accountable alternative, the continuation of the legally-binding Accord is needed to prevent another disaster,” said Judy Gearhart, Executive Director of the International Labor Rights Forum. “This should be acknowledged by brands that have not yet renewed their commitment to the 2018 Transition Accord and those that were part of the Alliance and followed by immediate action to join the Accord.”

Ineke Zeldenrust, International Coordinator at Clean Clothes Campaign, adds: “It is vital that existing plans to create an employment injury insurance system in Bangladesh are sped up, to ensure that if factory incidents do happen workers can count on a reliable system to provide them with compensation.”...

Basic facts

• Accord engineers have inspected more than 2,000 ready-made garment factories and identified over 150,000 safety hazards.
• More than 1.4 million garment workers have been informed about the most common factory safety hazards and their right to refuse unsafe work.
• The Accord has resolved more than 195 safety complaints from workers and their representatives.
• In January 2018, IndustriALL and UNI reached a US$2.3 million-dollar settlement with a multinational apparel producer under the legally-binding mechanism of the Accord, to pay for repairs at more than 150 of its supplier factories. It followed another successful settlement with a global brand at the Court of Arbitration in The Hague in December 2017.