One more occupational accident in Bangladesh resulted in the loss of tens of workers who are killed struggling to earn livelihood for themselves and their families. According to the deputy director of the Fire Service and Civil Defense of Bangladesh, at least 52 workers lost their lives and more than 26 are injured due to the fire in a five-story food and beverage factory in Rupganj outside Dhaka. Also, it is reported that the main exit of the factory, which processes juice, soft drinks, and other food items, was locked from the inside.
The World Federation of Trade Unions expresses its deep sorrow for the victims who are sacrificed by the bourgeois for the sake of profit in a country with an endless list of terrible occupational accidents. Monopolies and the owners of the factories consider workers as expendables, denying implementation of even the most fundamental health and safety measures in the workplaces.
We demand an independent and effective investigation of the causes of this new murder and exemplary punishment of the responsible ones. We demand the immediate inspection of all operating factories in the country for adequate and effective measures and we claim full compensation of the victims and their families. The international class-oriented trade union movement will continue its struggles with all its strength and through all available means for the determination and implementation of high standard health and safety measures at the workplace.
The Secretariat
