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3 months after the tragedy: has anything changed?

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3 months after the tragedy: has anything changed?

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Strange things have been happening at some clothing factories in Bangladesh.

Since the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed three months ago killing more than 1,100 people, hundreds of textile workers have been falling ill en masse, blaming drinking water or bad food.

But tests have revealed nothing unusual.

In another instance, production at a factory was halted after workers reported sightings of a ghost. Work could only resume after special prayers.

Public health officials suspect the phenomenon is "mass hysteria" - a panicked reaction to the recent deaths of so many fellow workers.

Painful memories aside, realities on the ground are not helping either.

There are regular reports of cracks in buildings and fires at factories in Bangladesh's ready-made clothing industry, which, with an annual turnover of $21bn (£14bn), is now second in size only to China's.

In the immediate aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse, there was a chaotic rush to inspect factories at apparent risk.

Multiple government departments, Western retailers and an influential trade body, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), have been carrying out their own investigations.

An initial visual inspection of 102 buildings, including 60 garment factories, by experts at the country's leading engineering university found that most had some structural problems.

In the weeks following the April disaster, more than a dozen clothing factories were shut down amid safety concerns.

Global outcry

The official response to one of the world's worst industrial disasters has been swift.

The coming months are crucial
Srinivas B Reddy, International Labour Organization, Bangladesh

In late June, the United States revoked preferential trade privileges for Bangladesh until reforms in the clothing industry were carried out. The EU has also put conditions on Bangladesh maintaining its lucrative duty free access to its clothing markets.

Both the EU and the US - the top two destinations for Bangladesh's clothing exports - have put special emphasis on the passing of a new labour law, which will ensure freedom of association and collective bargaining rights.

Bangladesh's parliament passed a labour law with new amendments on 15 July.

But the International Labour Organization (ILO) and various rights groups, including New York-based Human Rights Watch, have said that while the new law makes some improvements, it falls short on key issues.

The ILO's concerns include a condition in the new law that at least 30% of all workers at an establishment have to sign up first to form a union and not giving freedom of association rights to workers at export processing zones.

Responding to some of the criticism, Mikail Shipar, Bangladesh's Labour and Employment Secretary, said: "It is the best labour law - so far."

"Of course, it can be improved. But it will take more time. In this moment, we are unable to allow more than three trade unions in a factory. We are [also]unable to introduce outsiders [- officials employed by the union rather than the company -] in a trade union."

Crucial months

The other big concern since the Rana Plaza collapse has been how to make Bangladesh's clothing factories safe.

Retailers on both sides of the Atlantic have so far signed up to two different safety plans.

They are saying, 'My factory is not safe. And until it is safe, I will not come back'
Kalpona Akter, Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity

More than 70 clothing brands, mainly from Europe, have joined a legally binding safety pact launched by global unions. The plan includes inspections of factories that supply the brands' clothes and provides financing to fix any problems that are identified.

A separate North American safety alliance has announced plans to provide loans to fix or relocate structurally unsound buildings. It has been criticised by unions, however, for not being legally binding. And some major brands, including Top Shop and the Japanese company Uniqlo, have not yet signed up to either the pact or the alliance

These plans are in addition to a national Bangladeshi plan being facilitated by the ILO.

"One of the important commitments is to assess all the ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh by the end of this year. It is estimated that some 3,500 factories are there," says Srinivas B Reddy, country director for the ILO in Bangladesh.

Mr Reddy points out that common safety standards need to be agreed for all the public and private initiatives to help workers.

"The coming months are crucial," he says.

'My factory is not safe'

With all the promises made by governments and brands, do the workers now feel safe?

Kalpona Akter, a prominent labour rights activist, says while much action has been promised, it still remains at the policy level.

Workers at factories don't know about it, and are yet to benefit from any proposed measures, she says.

But they are taking matters into their own hands.

"On the ground level, workers are taking some initiatives to make changes. Like whenever they see these sparks in the factory, or the crack in the buildings, they are walking out from the factory," says Ms Akter, who is executive director at the Bangladesh Centre for Workers Solidarity.

"They are saying, 'My factory is not safe. And, until it is safe, I will not come back.'"

Three months on, the aftershocks from the collapse of Rana Plaza can be felt at the boardrooms of major companies and in the corridors of governments.

The deaths of so many people three months ago may have prompted a global outcry. But Bangladeshi workers know that changes on the ground will take time.

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Strange things have been happening at some clothing factories in Bangladesh. Since the Rana Plaza factory building collapsed three months ago killing more than 1,100 people, hundreds of textile workers have been falling ill en masse, blaming drinking water or bad food. But tests have revealed nothing unusual.

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News on the day of the collapse. (upsetting) The number of dead was much higher in the end

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News on the day of the collapse. (upsetting) The number of dead was much higher in the end

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At least 87 people have been killed and many others trapped after an eight-storey building housing garment factories collapsed outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka.

Firefighters and army personnel are leading the operation to rescue those caught beneath the debris in Savar.

More than 1,000 people were injured. One official put the death toll at 127.

Cracks had been found in the building prior to the collapse, but owners told workers not to worry.

Building collapses are common in Bangladesh. Speaking at the scene, Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir said the building had violated construction codes and "the culprits would be punished".

Bangladesh has one of the largest garment industries in the world, providing competitively priced clothes for major Western retailers which benefit from its widespread low-cost labour.

At the scene

Grieving relatives have been anxiously waiting outside the collapsed building in Savar. Rescue teams have been working frantically using concrete cutters and cranes digging through the rubble to pull people out.

It is still not clear how many people are trapped inside, although local media say there are hundreds. A doctor at the local hospital told the BBC that their services had been stretched.

The reason for the collapse is not yet known. The latest incident has once again raised questions about safety standards in the country's thriving garments industry. However, factory owners say safety standards have improved significantly in recent years.

Tessel Pauli, a spokeswoman for the Amsterdam-based Clean Clothes Campaign, said activists at the scene had identified labels from European and US high-street brands.

"Immediate relief and long-term compensation must be provided by the brands who were sourcing from these factories, and responsibility taken for their lack of action to prevent this happening," she said in a statement to the BBC.

Primark, a clothes retailer with a large presence in Britain, confirmed that one of its suppliers was on the second floor of the Rana Plaza. It said it was "shocked and deeply saddened by the appalling incident" and that it would work with other retailers to review standards.

The Rana Plaza building contained several clothing factories, a bank and a market.

It collapsed at about 09:00 local time (03:00 GMT), during the morning rush hour.

It is not yet clear what caused the collapse, but local media reports said severe cracks were detected in the block on Tuesday.

One man rescued from the building told the BBC that factory owners had told workers on Wednesday morning "not to worry" and that "they said they had examined the crack".

Police told local media that the rear of the building had suddenly started to collapse on Wednesday morning, and within a short time the whole structure - except the main pillar and parts of the front wall - had caved-in, triggering panic.

An eyewitness described the moment of the building's collapse: "It became completely dark on this side. There was a lot of dust from the collapsing debris, so we ran downstairs. When we came out we saw the whole building collapsed."

Only the ground floor of the building remained intact after the collapse, officials said.

Sohel Rana, a local who rescued several people, told Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star that he had heard cries for help coming from under the rubble.

The scene looked like a "war zone", Dhaka resident Tahsin Mahmoo told the BBC, adding that appeals had been put out for citizens to donate blood.

Hundreds of people, anxious for news of friends and relatives, have gathered at the scene. Others are moving rubble using their bare hands.

"Already we've rescued three to four hundred people... Now we are cutting through the concrete walls and trying to get inside with the help of sniffer dogs," fire brigade chief Ali Ahmed Khan told the BBC Bengali service.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has announced a national day of mourning on Thursday in memory of the victims.

In November, a fire at a garment factory in a Dhaka suburb drew international attention to working conditions in Bangladesh's textile industry.

At least 110 people died, triggering a public outcry about safety standards.

Western retail chains that buy from factories in Bangladesh urged factory owners to improve safety standards.

The last major building collapse was in 2010, when a four-storey building in Dhaka caved in, killing at least 25 people and injuring several others.

In 2005, there was a building collapse near the site of Wednesday's incident, killing 64 people.

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At least 87 people have been killed and many others trapped after an eight-storey building housing garment factories collapsed outside the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka. Firefighters and army personnel are leading the operation to rescue those caught beneath the debris in Savar. More than 1,000 people were injured.

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Do people know where their clothes are made?

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Do people know where their clothes are made?

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Are shoppers concerned about Bangladesh?

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Shoppers in London were asked if they knew where the clothes they were wearing were manufactured and if they were aware of the Dhaka building collapse.

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10 pence an hour! Can the fashion industry change this?

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10 pence an hour! Can the fashion industry change this?

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The latest tragedy to hit Bangladesh's ready-made garments industry has once again brought the power and influence of the industry into sharp focus.

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What is it like working in Bangladesh' sweatshops?

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What is it like working in Bangladesh' sweatshops?

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Bangladesh's clothes industry has created its own distinctive landscape on the northern edges of the capital Dhaka.

From the sprawl of one-room houses and shacks where workers live, scores of multi-storey factory blocks jut into the sky.

Clusters of steel-reinforcing rods poke from their rooftops - in the hope of adding yet another floor of sewing machines.

It's a sign of what critics say is a boom gone too far, in the desperation to feed the West's appetite for bargain clothes.

The Rana Plaza which collapsed this week was another of these high-rise stitching stations, with the UK's Primark chain one of its customers.

Primark has said that it was "shocked and saddened" by the disaster and that it would work with other retailers to review standards.

But everyone involved in the industry is in the frame now - because it's had plenty of warnings before.

It's less than six months since a devastating fire at a plant that was making clothes for Walmart killed over 100 workers - Bangladesh's last worst industrial accident.

There had been some efforts to tighten up.

You buy one get one free - but it's not really free
Bangladeshi union organiser

Humayun Kabir, CEO of DIRD Ltd, which makes nearly 20 million garments a year for UK retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury's and Next, says his customers were already "much more vigilant", making frequent random inspections of his production facilities.

"No child labour" signs adorn the entrances to many factories, promising compliance with the official ban on under-18s in the garment trade.

It's not clear though whether inspectors have also been looking for cracks in factory buildings.

And there's a whole underworld to the garments industry largely untouched by any checks.

'Open secret'

Dozens of sweatshop operations have sprouted up across Dhaka over the past decade trying to profit from the cheap clothes boom.

The BBC saw several back-street operations with few fire or other safety precautions and with people who were clearly children working on the shop-floor.

One of these sweatshop factories had made clothes destined for the UK in recent months.

It's an open secret that many higher standard factories often sub-contract orders to these sweat-shops to keep costs down and meet customer's deadlines.

It could just be a few thousand buttons or zips sewn on. Then the clothes go back to the 'good' factory - and the buyers may never know.

When it emerged that the Tazreen plant had been making clothes for Walmart, the US giant said it had no knowledge of this.

Whether any of the factories inside the Rana Plaza complex were involved in such practices is not clear.

Western buyers have been accused of turning a blind eye in the past, because of their interest in holding prices down.

The Bangladeshi government says it wants to improve conditions but worries about the knock-on consequences for the millions who now depend on the industry for jobs.

"The biggest human right is the right for survival," said commerce minister Ghulam Mohammed Quader in an interview before the latest disaster.

That sounds hollow now, as hundreds of Bangladeshi families grieve.

After this catastrophe, there is a lot more reflection going on over the real cost of cheap clothes.

As one Bangladeshi union organiser told the BBC: "You buy one get one free - but it's not really free."

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The dark underworld of Bangladesh's clothes industry

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Bangladesh's clothes industry has created its own distinctive landscape on the northern edges of the capital Dhaka. From the sprawl of one-room houses and shacks where workers live, scores of multi-storey factory blocks jut into the sky. Clusters of steel-reinforcing rods poke from their rooftops - in the hope of adding yet another floor of sewing machines.