Rana disaster: how far can we proceed with CSR?

Abstract

Purpose This paper aims to investigate corporate social responsibility (CSR) in corporate business and stimulate a debate on this to combat the modern day slavery in Garment Industries (GIS) in Bangladesh. Design/methodology/approach This research has drawn on media, non-governmental organisations and a series of national and international reports and on relevant materials from both primary and secondary legal resources. Findings The existing phenomena in Bangladesh surrounding Rana Plaza (RP) disaster stand in sharp contrast with CSR which inevitably offend the dignity and core values of human beings as deeply entrenched in a range of national and international instruments. RP disaster was a man-made catastrophe that could have been surely averted had the three actors (such as RP, the government and the foreign buyers being multinational corporations) performed their respective obligations in due course. Research limitations/implications CSR is still an intensely debated issue, especially in terms of its scope and limitation. This study has not delved into these issues. Practical implications There has been a dearth of intellectual inquiries (to the best of the authors’ knowledge) about CSR in GIS in Bangladesh. It is submitted that this paper will contribute to filling the gap in the legal literature, especially in relation to the responsibilities of the three actors, and to contest another human catastrophe in the future. Social implications In particular, it is expected that the findings would play an important role in empowering relevant stakeholders including the impoverished workers who have been the most disadvantaged, and overlooked by the three actors. Originality/value This paper is the original work of the authors and has not been submitted elsewhere for publication.

The Current Health and Wellbeing of the Survivors of the Rana Plaza Building Collapse in Bangladesh: A Qualitative Study

“…The collapse of the Rana Plaza in Savar Upazila, Dhaka, Bangladesh on 24 April 2013, was the worst and deadliest garment factory disaster on record [1,2]. More than 1100 workers were killed, approximately 2500 injured, and about 100 left missing among the 5000 workers in the various factories located at the Rana Plaza on that day [3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11]. The collapse of the eight-story building, which housed a private bank, apartments, stores, and clothing factories, occurred the day after the discovery of a crack on the third floor [1].…”

“…In relation to Rana Plaza, the owner of the factory building was illegally given permission by the local municipality to construct additional floors and construction work was underway to add floors to the top of the building at the time of the collapse [13,20], resulting in weakening of the overall structure. Since the collapse and associated investigations as to the cause of the collapse, it has been reported that the government was found to have failed in applying building codes and regular inspections [9,18,19,20,21] to the site. In addition, underlying corruption was found to have influenced government approvals due to the strong affiliations between the RMG owners and political powers in Bangladesh [9,17].…”

“…Since the collapse and associated investigations as to the cause of the collapse, it has been reported that the government was found to have failed in applying building codes and regular inspections [9,18,19,20,21] to the site. In addition, underlying corruption was found to have influenced government approvals due to the strong affiliations between the RMG owners and political powers in Bangladesh [9,17]. Even though these factory owners are characterized as the ‘power wielder’, able to continuously violate laws, rules, regulations, and agreements, government officials remain reluctant to take action against them [22].…”

“…For example, in the six years since the Rana Plaza collapse, anecdotal evidence suggests that survivors’ recovery from physical and psychological vulnerabilities have been negligible. This is largely due to inadequate financial compensation [9], lack of proper healthcare facilities and rehabilitation [29], and limited job opportunities in the RMG sector as physical strength is a primary requirement for this labor intensive job [28]. The consequences of the Rana Plaza collapse have resulted in significant adverse health outcomes and financial crisis for these already highly vulnerable workers.…”

Keystone actors do not act alone: A business ecosystem perspective on sustainability in the global clothing industry

“…One report recently found the clothing industry is already operating beyond all the planetary boundaries [ 52 ], with the exception of fresh water consumption [ 55 ]. The industry has also come under scrutiny in a number of countries for low wages, long working hours, and lapses in safe working conditions, including the 2013 collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh that claimed over 1,000 workers’ lives [ 56 , 57 ].…”