12 persone muoiono in una fabbrica del Bangladesh - Clean Clothes Campaign

["Ersilia Monti" <ermont@tin.it>]

BANGLADESH: 12 persone muoiono soffocate nell'incendio della fabbrica di
abbigliamento Globe Knitting Ltd a Banani (Dhaka). Nessuna uscita di
emergenza, scale strette, porte dei piani chiuse a chiave. I lavoratori sono
stati sorpresi nel sonno dalle fiamme. Il sindacato bengalese proclama uno
sciopero per l'11 settembre.
(notizia pervenuta alla Clean Clothes Campaign dal sindacato nazionale dei
lavoratori dell'abbigliamento del Bangladesh (NGWF, email: unity@bdmail.net)

L'ennesimo incidente mortale causato dal fuoco e dall'abitudine ad
alloggiare i lavoratori nelle fabbriche senza curarsi della loro sicurezza
ha avuto luogo a Banani (Dhaka) domenica 27 agosto intorno alle 3,30 di
mattina in una fabbrica che produce abbigliamento per l'esportazione. Dodici
persone, di cui dieci donne, sono morte soffocate dal fumo, una e' rimasta
ferita in modo grave. Al momento dell'incidente 150 lavoratori dormivano da
circa un'ora al termine del turno di notte. La Globe Knitting Ltd occupa i
primi quattro piani e il sesto piano di un edificio situato sulla strada
verso il nuovo aeroporto; non ha uscite di emergenza, i piani sono collegati
da una scala molto stretta, dalle prime testimonianze le porte di accesso ai
piani erano chiuse a chiave al momento dell'incidente. La maggior parte dei
corpi delle vittime e' stata rinvenuta al terzo piano, nel reparto filatura,
un locale ingombro di macchinari, rotoli di tessuti e capi in lavorazione,
in cui muoversi era pressoche' impossibile; il resto cercava la fuga
attraverso la scaletta di collegamento fra il secondo e il terzo piano.
Stando alle prime ipotesi, l'incendio ha avuto origine da un corto circuito
nel magazzino dove era depositato un gran numero di matasse di filato il cui
denso fumo si e' fatto strada ai piani superiori attraverso la scala
utilizzata per il trasporto dei materiali sorprendendo i lavoratori nel
sonno. Cinquanta di loro sono stati messi in salvo dai vigili del fuoco,
mentre gli altri sono riusciti ad aprirsi un varco nella parete del terzo
piano e a calarsi di sotto.
Negli ultimi 10 anni, nelle fabbriche di abbigliamento di Dhaka, sono morte
104 persone in incendi causati dal fuoco. Stando a una fonte interna al
gruppo di lavoro per la sicurezza dell'associazione bengalese dei produttori
ed esportatori di abbigliamento, che  nei giorni successivi al disastro
della Globe Knitting ha visitato alcune fabbriche di Banani, ne' il numero
degli estintori in uso ne' il numero di lavoratori addestrati contro gli
incendi rispetta le disposizioni di legge. Inoltre, mancano le uscite di
emergenza e i locali sono sovraccarichi di materiali.

Il sindacato nazionale dei lavoratori dell'abbigliamento ha proclamato per
l'11 settembre uno sciopero di 24 ore per chiedere: 1) il risarcimento per
le vittime della Globe Knitting; 2) la sicurezza nei luoghi di lavoro; 3)
l'applicazione di 4 punti dell'accordo sottoscritto nel novembre 1997 con
l'associazione dei produttori.
In solidarietà con i lavoratori, il 5 settembre scorso si e' svolta una
fiaccolata nelle strade di Dahka.

I SINDACATI BENGALESI CI CHIEDONO DI INVIARE UN MESSAGGIO DI CORDOGLIO E
SOLIDARIETA' A:
Amirul Haque Amin - General secretary, National Garments Workers Federation
(email: unity@bdmail.net)


Ecco un testo possibile:

Dear friends,
We are writing to express our heartfelt sympathy with you and the families
of the 12 workers of Globe Knitting Ltd who died in the fire of their
factory. We also wish to express our solidarity and support with your battle
for better working conditions in the Bangladesh garment industry.
In solidarity,

(Nome, cognome, eventuale organizzazione di riferimento, città e nazione)

---------------------
Chi vuole essere escluso dalla lista o vuole ricevere informazioni sulla
Clean Clothes Campaign, puo’ inviare un messaggio a : ermont@tin.it
Ersilia Monti (Coordinamento lombardo nord/sud del mondo)
P.le Governo Provvvisorio 6
20127 Milano
tel.02-26140345
email: ermont@tin.it
-------------------



-----Messaggio originale-----
Da: Clean Clothes Campaign <info@cleanclothes.org>
A: cleanclothes@xs4all.nl <cleanclothes@xs4all.nl>
Data: martedì 29 agosto 2000 12.57
Oggetto: [cleanclothes] 12 dead in Bangladesh garment factory fire


>
>Please find below two reports from the Bangladesh newspaper, The Daily
>Star, regarding the tragic death of 12 garment workers in Dhaka.
>
>Condolence messages can be sent via the National Garment Workers
Federation:
>NGWF
>G.P.O BOX 864
>DHAKA
>BANGLADESH
>PHONE    :88-019-340268
>FAX      :88-02-9562562
>E-MAIL   :unity@bdmail.net
>
>The NGWF plans to hold a memorial rally and protest today. More information
>on who this factory was producing for has been requested.
>
>----------------------------------------
>
>No fire escape: Narrow staticases
>Fire at garments unit in city: Suffocation kills 12
>
>Star Report
>Twelve people, ten of them female, died of suffocation while another was
>severely injured when a fire broke out at a garment factory in the city's
>Banani area in the early hours of yesterday.
>The incident took place after about 150 night shift workers of the Globe
>Knitting Ltd. went to bed sleep after work at about 2:30 a.m. yesterday.
>Police and hospital sources identified the victims as Piara, 35, Rezia, 40,
>Shila, 20, Sayera, 30, Hasna, 35, Nurjahan, 20, Monwara, 40, Johura, 23,
>Shanta, 16, Anwara, 35, Abdul Aziz, 25, and Golam Kibria, 31. Kafil, the
>injured, was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
>The bodies were sent to DMCH for autopsy. No case was filed till the filing
>of this report late last night.
>Most of the dead bodies were recovered from the spinning and inspection
>section on the third floor while the rest from the narrow staircase,
>connecting the second and third floor, which is used only for carrying
>materials from the godown to different floors of the factory.
>Globe Knitting Ltd., which has no emergency exit, is housed on the first
>four floors and the sixth floor of the seven-storey Haji Sahabuddin Mansion


>on the New Airport Road.
>Three other smaller garment factories are also housed in the same building,
>which has a narrow staircase, but none of those was operating during that
>time.
>The fire believed to have originated from an electric short circuit in the
>godown swallowed a huge stockpile of yarn that resulted in thick smoke.
>The billowing smoke soon made its way to other floors through the staircase
>used only for carrying yarn and other materials to different sections of
>the factory. The sleeping workers at different floors were awakened by
>thick smoke at around 3:30 a.m.
>According to a number of staff of other factories, the collapsible doors at
>the main entrance of each floor were under lock and key during the
>incident. However, the knitting in-charge of Globe Knitting claimed that
>the supervisor had the keys to all the entrances which he had unlocked
>after the trapped workers cried out for help.
>Ten units of fire fighters from four city stations rushed to the spot at
>about 4:30 a.m. and fought for about three hours to douse the blaze.
>Gulshan police said that more than 50 workers trapped inside different
>floors of the factory were rescued.
>According to witnesses and police, most of the trapped workers came out
>breaking the wall on the third floor while others climbed down.
>
>Most garments factories lack safety measures
>
>Star Report
>Working condition in most of the garments factories in the city is highly
>hazardous as these lack adequate space, wide staircase and emergency exit.
>In addition, most of the garments worker do not have any training on fire
>safety.
>At least 104 garments employees were killed in fire- related incidents in
>garment factories in the city in the last ten years.
>Twelve employees including ten females were killed due to suffocation in a
>fire incident at Globe Knitting Ltd at Banani in the early hours of Sunday.
>A team from BGMEA Safety Cell yesterday visited Globe Knitting and some
>others garments factories in Banani area. A member of the team preferring
>anonymity said most of the factories they visited did not have the required
>number of fire extinguishers and workers trained on fire safety.
>As per law at least 18 per cent of the total workers of a garment factory
>must have training on fire safety. At Globe Knitting, only one of the
>trapped employees had training on fire safety, he said.
>Besides, garments factories are supposed to conduct evacuation rehearsal
>once a month, but most of those do not do it.
>"Even if there are adequate fire extinguishers, those will be of no use in
>an accident as an untrained employee will not know how to use those" said a
>Fire Brigade official. An employee not trained on fire safety will not able
>to escape in such a situation. A large number of employees were killed in
>stampede in the last ten years, he said.
>This correspondent yesterday visited a number of garments factories in
>Hatirpool and Green Road areas. Most of the officials at of those factories
>refused to talk to this correspondent. Talking with the staff and
>employees, it was gathered that only a few of those had emergency exit.
>Most of the workers said they never heard of training on fire safety.
>Windmill Sweaters Ltd. at Green Road does not have any emergency exit. Its
>Managing Director Zahid Hossain said he will arrange an emergency exit as
>the Fire Brigade and Civil Defence Department has issued a notice in this
>regard.
>Officials of another factory at Hatirpool said they do not conduct
>evacuation rehearsal as it hampers work.
>BGMEA's Safety Cell and Fire Brigade conduct training on fire safety. The
>Safety Cell official said, during visits they prepare lists of workers for
>training but most of the listed workers do not attend the five-day program
>conducted by BGMEA. Only 4000 workers from 400 factories in the city have
>so far taken training, sources said.
>As per rules, a garments factory must have an emergency exits and the size
>of the staircase must be in proportion to the number of workers.
>But in most of the factories, staircases are too narrow and usually kept
>dumped with goods, said an official of Fire Service and Civil Defence
>Department.
>Most of the bodies of the 12 victims at Globe Knitting were recovered from
>the third floor, which was covered with machines, bundles of fabrics and
>garments. There was hardly any space to move freely.
>Another major cause of deaths from fire incidents is the too inadequate
>space compared to the manpower, another official said.
>BGMEA sources said, last year its Safety Cell identified 227 garments
>factories in the city having no emergency exit.
>Motior Rahman, a Deputy Director of Fire Brigade, said four groups
>comprising officials from Fire Service, BGMEA and other organisations
>concerned later inquired into it and found that the number of such
>factories was 127.
>"We will not give clearance any more unless factories have emergency exit",
>he said adding, negligence by authorities of Globe Knitting was responsible
>for Sunday's disaster.
>
>
>
>
>
>
>The Clean Clothes Campaign
>PO BOX 11584
>1001 GN Amsterdam
>+31-20-4122785
>+31-20-4122786
>ccc@xs4all.nl
>http://www.cleanclothes.org
>
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