Fatal fashion: Analysis of recent factory fires in Pakistan and Bangladesh: a call to protect and respect garment workers’ lives

The garment industry in both Bangladesh and Pakistan is recognised for paying low wages, demanding and unsafe working conditions, and the repression of unions. Workers are not organised and therefore not in the position to monitor or report freely about safety hazards.

This report describes in detail two recent cases of factory fires that swept through the facilities of clothing manufacturers in Pakistan and Bangladesh clothing manufacturers producing for international brands.  Hundreds of workers were killed in horrendous circumstances, and many others were injured. Sub-standard buildings, poor emergency procedures, inadequate and blocked fire exits, and overcrowded workplaces resulted in an extremely high death toll.

This report demonstrates the urgent need for immediate and structural changes in the practices of government and
business actors along the garment supply chain, in accordance with the internationally recognized State duty to protect human rights and the corporate responsibility to respect human rights.

To prevent future tragedies and ensure remedy for the victims of the fire, garment factory owners in Bangladesh and Pakistan should, at a minimum:

• ensure expert assessments of factory safety, improve the buildings accordingly, and put safety first
• change the present management attitude that leads to locking of gates, and keeping production speed at all times, thereby ignoring signs of approaching catastrophes
• allow genuine workplace representation and recognise the role that trade unions and workplace safety committees can play in upholding safety standards for workers
• contribute to and ensure full payment of compensation based on grief and loss of income, medical and psychological care, payment of wages (and in case factory closes negotiate severance) and continuance of worker employment
• develop adequate worker registration systems