When companies shirk responsibility for working conditions abroad

After a textile factory fire and building collapse in Bangladesh that killed 1,200 workers and injured more than 1,800, U.S. firms that use the factories refuse to contribute to the $40 million fund set up for the victims.

The companies fear that participating in the fund will appear as if they are accepting responsibility for the disasters.

From the New York Times:

To the dismay of those pushing to create the compensation funds, neither Walmart, Sears, Children's Place nor any of the other American companies that were selling goods produced at Tazreen or Rana Plaza have agreed to contribute to the efforts.

Supporters of compensation plans say they are needed to pay for medical care for those who are paralyzed or otherwise badly injured, to provide income after a vital breadwinner died and to give families enough income so that children are not forced to quit school and go to work.

"Compensation is so important because so many families are suffering — many families don't have anyone left to support them," said Kalpona Akter, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity. "There's been a good response from some European brands, but so far none of the U.S. retailers have agreed to pay a single penny for compensation."

The current version of a trade agreement among the U.S. and Pacific countries, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, won't hold corporations responsible for working conditions in factories in that region. Who is responsible for improving working conditions in places that make goods for U.S. consumers?

LEARN MORE ABOUT FACTORY CONDITIONS ABROAD:

• Why Auditing Bangladeshi Factories Is Not Enough

What is needed is a comprehensive, independent inspection program with a commitment to actually fixing problems when they are found. Further, workers need to be able to participate in active health and safety committees that can help to identify risks on a day-to-day basis, and have the right to refuse unsafe work. (Huffington Post)

• After Bangladesh Factory Collapse, Bleak Struggle for Survivors

Compensation remains a complicated and contested issue. Bangladesh's government has made some modest short-term compensation payments to some victims. Families were given a one-time payment of $257 when they collected the body of a relative in the days after the collapse, and the government has established annuities for survivors who lost limbs. (New York Times)

• To understand Cambodia's labor crackdown, open your closet

In choosing not to intervene, American and European multinational companies — particularly the top global apparel brands that source their clothes from the country — are enabling both the repression and the mistreatment of garment workers in Cambodia. In fact, these companies are also directly responsible and are well positioned to stop the violence and improve labor conditions. (Al Jazeera America)