"Seventy top retailers pledged to open up their Bangladesh factories to safety inspections within nine months, as part of a pact finalised Monday in the wake of a deadly garment factory collapse."
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"The mainly European brands will underwrite repairs and renovations if inspections reveal their factories to be unsafe, according to the legally binding agreement, signed with unions after the collapse of Rana Plaza in April killed 1,129 people in one of the world's worst industrial disasters.
"Initial inspections at every factory will be completed at the latest within nine months, and plans for renovations and repairs put in place where necessary," the pact's steering committee said in a statement.
"It is not clear how much retailers are ready to spend on repairs, but a study by a local group has found the cost of renovations and retrofitting Bangladesh's garment factories could cost $3bn."
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The Guardian:
"Bangladesh factory tragedy gives hope to leather workers"
"Bangladesh has been under a spotlight since the deaths in April of 1,130 workers in the collapse of a factory in Dhaka, which produced cheap garments for western high street retailers. In the tragedy's aftermath, politicians in the chaotic south Asian state promised reforms and companies such as Primark, Matalan and Gap scrambled to repair battered reputations.
"... But Bangladesh is also a major supplier of leather for shoes, handbags, belts, jackets and suitcases used in Britain, other European countries and south-east Asia. This booming trade – predicted to soon be worth more than $1bn annually but notorious for its harsh conditions and pollution – has received less attention.
"... Residents and workers in Hazaribagh are hoping they may see some benefits from the global outrage that followed the Rana Plaza factory collapse."
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