Erneut Todesopfer in Textilfirma - direkt vor dem internationalen Frauentag, der als Protesttag der Textilarbeiterinnen begangen wird

Während in der Sonderzone von Chittagong Proteststreiks und Blockadeaktionen stattfinden und über die Zahl der Todesopfer bei KTS in der letzten Woche gestritten wird (die Regierung bleibt bei über fünfzig Toten, andere sprechen von über einhundert Opfern) sind direkt vor dem internationalen Frauentag - der von der Gewerkschaftsbewegung in Bangladesh zum Protesttag der Frauen in den Textil-Weltmarkt-"Klitschen" ausgerufen wurde - erneut drei Frauen in den Flammen eines Betriebs gestorben und über 50 verletzt worden. Die (englische) Pressemitteilung "Second factory fire in a week kills women one day before IWD" der National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh vom 7. März 2006.

Second factory fire in a week kills women one day before IWD

Yesterday (06.03.06) at 18.30 another fire happened in a garment factory named “Saiem Fashion Ltd.” There are other 2 factories in the same building: SK Sweater, Radiance Sweater. These factories are in the district of Gazipur.

The National Garment Workers Federation has received the names of 3 dead workers. They are all women. Dead in the fire are:

1. Mrs Rahima
2. Mrs Rafija
3. Miss Lucky

More than 50 workers were injured in the fire. The NGWF has 31 names of those injured.

The National Garment Workers Federation has good contacts with the workers of this factory and we are very much involved in this case.

NGWF’s Gazipur branch has been assisting the workers from the beginning.

Besides assisting with the injured in the hospital and houses, NGWF Gazipur branch has organized protest a demonstration in the area and NGWF central organized a demonstration in Dhaka city today 7th March at 15:00.

In the factory there were other violations of workplace laws like long working hours, a complete absence of days off work etc.

NGWF hopes to soon get the name of the companies or labels involved and will make them available to the public so that workers around the world can express their anger at these deaths.

Amirul Haque Amin
General secretary
National Garment Workers Federation of Bangladesh