Over 100 people died in Bangladesh so that Black Friday could live
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Over 100 people died in Bangladesh so that Black Friday could live
People pushing and shoving at the Wal-Mart and shooting each other over parking spaces were not the real outrage of this year's epic Black Friday, now known as Black Thursday/Friday. This is a horrific tragedy:
DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Fire raced through a garment factory that supplies major retailers in the West, killing at least 112 people, many of whom were trapped by the flames because the eight-story building lacked emergency exits, an official said Sunday.
The blaze broke out late Saturday at a factory operated just outside Bangladesh's capital of Dhaka by Tazreen Fashions Ltd., a subsidiary of the Tuba Group, which makes products for Wal-Mart and other companies in the U.S. and Europe.
Firefighters recovered at least 100 bodies from the factory, Maj. Mohammad Mahbub, fire department operations director, told The Associated Press. He said 12 other people who were injured after they jumped from the building to escape died at hospitals.
Local media reported that up to 124 people were killed.
Accidents happen -- but this one didn't have to. Too many factories in Bangladesh are firetraps prone to the kind of electrical blaze that erupted this weekend, and too many lack basic fire escapes, which was apparently also the case here:
In addition to finding evidence that the factory produced Walmart’s Faded Glory brand, researchers found over a dozen other brand logos on clothing and documents in the factory, including Ace, C&A, Dickies, Fashion Basics, Sean Combs Co.'s Enyce brand, Edinburgh Woollen Mill's brands P.G. field and Country Rose, Hippo, Infinity Woman, Karl Rieker GMBH & Co., Kebo Raw, Kik, Piaza Italia, Soffe, and True Desire.
For several years, the International Labor Rights Forum has been tracking and responding to factory fires in Bangladesh’s garment industry. This is the most deadly factory fire in the history of the apparel industry in Bangladesh, which is the world’s second largest apparel exporter after China. Export data has indicated that Walmart is the second largest buyer of garments from Bangladesh, after H&M.
It should be noted that a) no one is going to put the genie of globaloization back in the bottle, not on the eve of 2012 and b) at least a safe factory (and fair wages) can lift citizens of one of the nation's poorest countries out of poverty. But it's also possible to make to make garments in Bangladesh in a factory that's not going to kill its workers. Ironically, Wal-Mart is confirming that it had flagged this plant as one of significant concern, and at the most recent inspection in August 2011 vowed it would be back within a year. It's not clear whether that happened.
Kinda late for that now.
Ummmm, Will Bunch. Don't you think your headline for this article is a bit much? I mean, if there hadn't been this tragic fire, Black Friday would have still happened.— TopCat#1
"I also doubt any so called "journalist" will investigate this angle."
I love how right wingers biggest complaints against a Democrat is on those things where said Dem acted like a Republican. There's a lot of things Bill Clinton did that liberals don't like.
But if it's so out of the mainstream media, how did you know about it, Phish? Are you psychic? Or are you just annoyed that it's not done 24/7, Fox News style?— Hamlet- MSL, that's in the Confederacy. They don't have to obey socialist Union (Federal) law, do they? After all, if the job creators cheat workers out of fair pay, bust their unions (little U) or condemn a couple of dozen of them to death that's just part of doing business.— Hamlet
- Hamlet, you might recall the more recent Imperial Chicken plant tragedy in Hamlet, N. Carolina around 1986. 25 workers died because emergency exits were locked to protect the chickens.— montani semper liberi
- "At least Wa1 Mart voiced concern." . . . . To whom? An internal memo? It's a risk to Wal-Mart if a factory goes up in a blaze and slows down factory orders. Perhaps Wal-mart can label which garments come from the factories it has 'flagged' so the consumer can decide if it's worth the risk.— montani semper liberi
- Wow, I hadn't read Murryman's comment before I made mine.— Hamlet
- Well, if you can no longer run a Triangle Shirtwaist factory in the US, go elsewhere! Isn't "free trade" wonderful?— Hamlet
- The president no what he ,Doing with the ,Drones— bigred46
- The women of the Triangle Shirt Company d1ed on the eighth floor as well, many of them jumping from the windows, seeing that the owners had locked the emergency exits. Locked the emergency exits. At least they had exits. The system of cap11al1sm can only work when one makes inhuman decisions. People become commodities to be weighed. You can see the level of insensitivity it creates in Mr. Smith's and skipintro's comments. Its necessary to deal with the realities of the system. The cost of providing emergency exits would have eat into earnings. My guess is there were no regulations on this factory. At least Wa1 Mart voiced concern.— Murrayman
- "I could be wrong but I'm willing to bet that the free trade agreement that allowed this cheap stuff to be manufactured with slave like wages in conditions that the EPA and OSHA would cringe at seeing, were signed by Bill Clinton and voted "Yes" by many Dems. Just sayin" How much you willing to bet? I'm willing to wager a grand, as a mercy wager. "Much like the NAFTA agreements and the agreement that allowed Chinda in the WTO" This isn't a sentence. But yeah, its so strange journalists haven't or won't investigate this angle. Anything else to add, phish?— Murrayman
- Let's just deregulate some more, then all those jobs will come back here!— gibby58
- Hey Wal Mart - demand safer worker conditions or you'll...um...oh, I know, you won't buy those garments, thus shutting down the factory so those workers can be alive and safe and unemployed and homeless. Get to it! The Bangledesh government is NOT to blame nor is the factory owner or whatever passes for a fire department. Nope, it's American shoppers' fault!— fredgwynne
- Stay classy, Mr. Smith, stay classy.— Talking point sleuth
- I guess the Bangladesh government was too busy establishing Islam as the state religion last year to answer Wal-Mart's concerns. They seemed to escape any blame in this column.— Bob1
- "Walmart needs to start with fare pay in US and then in other countries" Does that mean they need to give them a bus allowance?
Big deal. Fires happen in first world countries, too, you know.
Bunch likes to twist everything into capitalist exploitation and claim that somehow the poor of the world would be better off without big companies mucking around in their countries.
Truth is, they died for Christmas, Bunch. If you have an issue with all of this, take it up with Jesus.- If only I had adopted those 124 Bangladeshis years ago, I could have guided them through the public school system, paid for their Ivy League educations, funded them through medical school, and we would have 124 more cardiologists in the greater Philadelphia area, thus saving countless lives here, and preventing this horror of immolation. If only I had done something!!!!! I am wracked with guilt!!!
Maybe I'll watch some football now. Pass the potato chips.— Mr. Smith - Hey Mr Smith, what happened with Virginia? I thought Obama lost it when he made the horses and bayonets comment? I thought Romney sealed the deal after the 3rd debate? Where have you been? Ya just kind of disappeared after Election Day. Weasel.
— wokmaster - Globalization has created jobs in countries where they previously may have been none. Yes these societies are about 75 years behind the US in workers rights, but you don't condemn a system because it. This article is pure sensationalism, filled with hyperbole.
Should we have blame school who serve chicken nuggest for lunch for the fire that killed 25 in the chicken processing plant too? Stupid article.— LGbalsac - Don't blame the factory owners. According to Obama, they didn't build that, so they're not responsible.
On a bright note, maybe the Hostess union can find their workers a job as garment makers in Bangladesh.— TyroneShoes - this is what happens ! Greed, Money, Walmart is the one that has
tons of stores all over...and these poor folks work themselves to death
just to feed there family and have a roof ...Disgrace.. I have seen this in other countries..and also right here in Philadelphia..many years ago by accident came across a sweat shop..horrible conditins— tajicat - I could be wrong but I'm willing to bet that the free trade agreement that allowed this cheap stuff to be manufactured with slave like wages in conditions that the EPA and OSHA would cringe at seeing, were signed by Bill Clinton and voted "Yes" by many Dems. Just sayin. Much like the NAFTA agreements and the agreement that allowed Chinda in the WTO . I also doubt any so called "journalist" will investigate this angle.— Phishface
- classic ruin my holiday missive— jake Montero
- Good catch -- I glazed right over that. I'll disavow him.— will
- Will President Obama disavow P-Diddy?— Mr. Smith
- Small businesses in US is suffering due to the Giant Chain stores.
It is not just the poor people in third world country that are suffering.
Walmart needs to start with fare pay in US and then in other countries. That would ensure broad base greater wealth increase in US.— Seed1 - Bush killed 100,000+ in Iraq for their oil.
This loss in Bangladesh is very regretable, but it is just another display of greed at much lower scale.— Seed1
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