The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views
The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views |
| Thousands protest in Bangladesh after deadly blaze Posted: 26 Nov 2012 07:45 AM PST  A worker calls for help as he is trapped in an 11-storey garment factory building where a fire had broken out, in the suburb of Uttara in Dhaka November 26, 2012. — Reuters pic The fire has put a spotlight on global retailers that source clothes from Bangladesh, where the cost of labour is low — as little as US$37 (RM113) a month for some workers — and rights groups have called on big-brand firms to sign up to a fire safety programme. Workers from Tazreen Fashions and residents blocked roads and forced the closure of other factories in the industrial suburb of Ashulia, where the huge fire started on Saturday, demanding those responsible for the disaster be punished. "I haven't been able to find my mother," said one worker, who gave her name as Shahida. "I demand justice, I demand that the owner be arrested." Police and officials said narrow exits in the nine-storey building trapped workers inside, killing 111 people and injuring more than 150. "This disastrous fire incident was a result of continuing neglect of workers' safety and their welfare," said Amirul Haque Amin, president of Bangladesh's National Garment Workers Federation. "Whenever a fire or accident occurs, the government sets up an investigation and the authorities — including factory owners — pay out some money and hold out assurances to improve safety standards and working conditions. But they never do it." Pressure to global firms Working conditions at Bangladeshi factories are notoriously poor, with little enforcement of safety laws. Overcrowding and locked fire doors are common. More than 300 factories near the capital shut for almost a week this year as workers demanded higher wages and better conditions. At least 500 people have died in clothing factory accidents in Bangladesh since 2006, according to fire brigade officials. Bangladesh has about 4,500 garment factories and is the world's biggest exporter of clothing after China, with garments making up 80 per cent of its US$24 billion annual exports. The International Labour Rights Forum (ILRF) said that US-based PVH Corp, whose brands include Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Van Heusen, entered into an agreement with unions and other rights groups earlier this year to develop a fire safety programme in Bangladesh, but others have not signed up. "We hope the tragic fire at Tazreen will serve as an urgent call to action for all major brands that rely on Bangladesh's low wages to make a profit," ILRF Executive Director Judy Gearhart said in a statement yesterday. "Their voluntary and confidential monitoring programmes have failed; now it is time to come together and make a contractual commitment to workers, and to involve workers and their organisations in the solution." Hong Kong-listed Li & Fung said in a statement it had placed orders for garments from Tazreen Fashions, which were being manufactured on the premises where the fire broke out. It said it would provide relief to victims' families, and carry out its own investigation into what caused the blaze. The European spokesman for retailer C&A said Tazreen Fashions was due to deliver 220,000 sweatshirts for its Brazilian stores over the coming three months. He said an independent company normally audits companies and factories for standards and working conditions before C&A enters into a business relationship with them, but the audit of Tazreen Fashions had not yet been carried out. A spokesperson for US retail chain Wal-Mart Stories Inc in India said the company was "trying to determine if the factory has a current relationship with Walmart or one of our suppliers". — Reuters |
| Vettel committed to Red Bull after third title Posted: 26 Nov 2012 07:43 AM PST
The exact nature of Vettel's contract with Red Bull is unclear, but the German driver said he was tied to the constructor until the end of 2014. Speculation has surrounded Vettel's future at Red Bull since Ferrari principal Stefano Domenicali said in June the 25-year-old (picture) and Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso could "easily co-exist together". Alonso, a double world champion who was narrowly beaten to the title by Vettel in Brazil on Sunday, has a contract with the Italian team until the end of 2016 and is very much the number one in the current lineup with Brazilian Felipe Massa. "I have a contract until – I think you know better than me – at this stage, until the end of '14," Vettel told reporters. "I'm very happy with what we have achieved so far and I don't think this story is over yet. I'm very happy and extremely committed to give everything I have, also in the next years when I'm with them. "At the moment, I don't see any point thinking about another team or something else. I'm extremely happy in the position I am. It's incredible what we have achieved." Massa's Ferrari contract runs until the end of next year. Vettel hailed his third title as his most difficult having found it harder to assert himself in a topsy-turvy season that began with seven different winners in the first seven races. Singapore proved the turning point and Vettel went on to win four races in a row to take the lead from Alonso in South Korea. "In that way, I think it was (the hardest title) because people tried everything, inside the lines, outside the lines, to beat us and the amount of questions we had to deal with, stuff we had to deal with throughout the season didn't make our lives easier but the key was to remain ourselves and I think that made the difference in a way," he said. – Reuters |
LONDON, Nov 26 – Sebastian Vettel has dampened speculation he is set to jump ship from Red Bull and join Ferrari in 2014 by saying he is "extremely committed" to the team who helped him claim a third consecutive Formula One title yesterday.| You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: ALL To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan