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      Global Retailers Join Bangladesh Safety Plan as Survivor Search Ends

   Several of the Western world`s largest clothing companies have signed
   onto a plan requiring them to help pay for garment factory safety
   improvements in Bangladesh.
   The deal, announced Monday, came as authorities ended the search near
   Dhaka for victims of the world`s worst-ever garment industry disaster.
   The death toll from the April 24 factory collapse near Dhaka stood at
   1,127 as workers ended their search.
   The safety deal brings together Sweden`s H & M chain, the largest buyer
   of garments from Bangladesh; the Dutch-owned C&A chain, Inditex, owner
   of the Zara clothing chain, and two British retailers -- Primark and
   Tesco. Additionally, the New York-based PVH Corporation -- the parent
   company of the Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod brands -- agreed
   to upgrade a similar agreement reached in 2012.
   The legally-binding pact calls for independent factory inspections with
   results made public, and mandatory repairs and renovations paid for by
   the Western companies.
   Bangladesh, one of the world`s largest apparel exporters, also pays one
   of the world`s lowest monthly minimum wages -- $38. The low wages and
   lack of regulations attract billions of dollars in orders from Western
   retailers and apparel brands.
   In a related development, the Dhaka government agreed Monday to allow
   the country`s 3.6 million garment workers to form trade unions without
   the permission of factory owners.
   The trade union agreement follows days of worker protests spawned by
   last month`s factory collapse in the Savar district of Dhaka. The
   protests forced more than 300 garment factories to shut down.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/global-retailers-join-bangladesh-safe
   ty-plan-as-survivor-search-ends/1660316.html

References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/global-retailers-join-bangladesh-safety-plan-as-survivor-search-ends/1660316.html