Frankfurt – On the occasion of the tenth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster, IG Metall is calling for internationally operating companies to be held more accountable and the rights of employees worldwide to be effectively protected – with a strong European supply chain directive. “April 24th is not only a day to commemorate the factory collapse in Bangladesh, but also a day of criticism of the irresponsibility and ignorance of many companies: towards life-threatening working conditions, poverty wages, environmental disasters caused by them and reprisals against trade unions in global supply chains”, says Wolfgang Lemb, executive board member of IG Metall.
Effective European regulations are needed. IG Metall is linking the commemoration of the dead and injured at Rana Plaza with a call to those responsible for politics in Germany and Europe to step up their commitment to the European supply chain directive that is currently being negotiated. The German Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, which recently came into force, is an important step in the right direction, but it is not enough. “From our point of view, the next step in the necessary expansion of human rights and environmental and climate-related due diligence obligations must be taken by a European regulation,” says Wolfgang Lemb.
EU directive threatens to become a toothless tiger IG Metall warns of a watered-down regulation at EU level. Wolfgang Lemb: “In Brussels, it’s up to the minute whether we will get an enforceable guideline for European companies that at least meets the requirements of the German supply chain law. Even the German law was just a compromise that we accepted despite many weaknesses. Unfortunately, parts of the German federal government and the opposition are now also contributing to the fact that the European standards are also to be watered down.”
More trade union participation neededIn particular, initiatives aimed at enabling companies to buy their way out of liability for breaches of due diligence through so-called safe harbor agreements must be put in front of a clear stop sign. Likewise, the participation rights of trade unions must not be weakened in the directive. Wolfgang Lemb: “Trade unions must not be excluded when it comes to the rights of workers in the supply chain. They must be involved in the development of effective reporting systems in production on site, as well as in the control of due diligence in the company. Good practice of global framework agreements and social audits can make an effective contribution to this.”
Background Ten years ago today, on January 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza textile factory in Bangladesh collapsed while it was in operation. The disaster claimed more than a thousand lives and injuries.