Garments industry leaders launch month-long programme to commemorate Rana Plaza tragedy

Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Garment Sramik Songhoti, a platform for apparel industry workers, has launched a series of programmes to commemorate the tragic event that shook the world on April 24, 2013 – the Rana Plaza tragedy.
The month-long event aims to pay tribute to the victims who lost their lives, raise awareness of the importance of worker safety, and encourage stakeholders to work towards a safer future for the country’s garments workers.
On the 10th anniversary of the incident, a commemorative programme has been launched in memory of the Rana Plaza tragedy, where workers were killed in a building collapse. As part of this initiative, a discussion meeting was held in front of the Rana Plaza in Savar and a three-day exhibition of photographs began.
The exhibition inaugurated by an injured worker Rupali Akhtar will continue until March 26, every day from 11 am to 4 pm.
Nasima Akhtar, mother of the deceased garment worker Akhi Akhtar spoke as the main speaker during the discussion, while President and General Secretary of Garment Sramik Songhoti Taslima Akhtar and Babul Hossain respectively also spoke.
During the meeting, the leadership of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Songhoti stated that the Rana Plaza tragedy is a significant day in the history of the garments workers’ movement.
We want to take strength from this painful memory and continue our fight for justice and the welfare of the surviving workers, they said.
The speakers further stated that in 2013, thousands of workers lost their lives when Rana Plaza collapsed. However, even after 10 years, the owner Sohel Rana and others involved have not been held accountable for their actions.
This long delay in justice proves that the value of a worker’s life is nonexistent to the owners, government, and buyers in Bangladesh. Despite a decade of damage, there have been no significant changes in the laws for compensation, they rued.
As part of the month-long programme, there will be tributes, protests, and exhibitions of photographs at Shahbagh intersection on April 1st and 2nd, in the Drik Gallery from April 7th to 15th, and a rally with protest programme will be held in front of Rana Plaza on April 24th.
In addition to these events, there will be various other programmes including protests, rallies, discussions, film screenings, children’s art competitions, and cultural events in different areas.