Safety call after Bangladesh garment factory fire

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International garment firms have demanded fast action to ensure the safety of Bangladeshi textile workers, a week after a factory fire killed more than 100 people, a senior industry official in the country said yesterday. Mohammad Shafiul Islam, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said a 19-member buyers' forum was blunt in suggesting it would "lose confidence" in the country's industry unless change came fast. "Now we want to see proper action towards implementation of compliance issues, instead of commitments," he quoted Roger Hubert, vice-president of Hong Kong-based Li & Fung, as telling the meeting. Hubert, he said, pledged financial support for the families of those who died in the fire. Representatives of Li & Fung and other companies present were unavailable for comment. One report said the garment industry promised to pay the families of the victims a monthly salary for at least 10 years. Rights groups have called on big-brand firms to sign up for a fire safety programme. Islam quoted company officials at the meeting on Friday as saying that while some factories in Bangladesh observed safety regulations, "many of them do not comply with these". The Bangladesh government also said it will give 200,000 takas (HK$18,750) to the families of those who died and 50,000 takas to those who were injured. Last week's fire at Tazreen Fashions, Bangladesh's worst-ever industrial blaze, was blamed by authorities on saboteurs. Police say narrow exits trapped workers inside the nine-storey building, killing 111 people and injuring more than 150. Three employees have been arrested and police say they are being investigated for suspected negligence. Several hundred workers demonstrated outside the gutted plant yesterday demanding what they said was three months in wage arrears. Protesters briefly blocked a highway.