On July 6 2006, Spanish-based retailer Inditex sent a letter to invite brands to participate in a Voluntary Relief Scheme to provide much needed support to workers who were injured and the families of those who died when the Spectrum / Shahriyar factory collapsed on April 11, 2005. The relief scheme, proposed to start this September, is one of the demands that the CCC and Bangladeshi partners have been making of garment companies sourcing from the factory since its collapse. Read more >>

Actions in Asia, Europe, North America Mark Spectrum Collapse

April 11, 2006

International Actions Mark One-Year Anniversary of Spectrum Tragedy
Sweeping changes still needed to stop ongoing deaths, injuries of garment workers
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Never Again!
April 11: International Action Day for Workers Health & Safety in Bangladesh

CCC joins its Bangladeshi partners in calling for an International Action Day for Workers Health & Safety in Bangladesh
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Spectrum:
OneYear After the Collapse

Report of Bangladesh garment workers tour Europe to press demands

SPECTRUM/SHAHRIYAR UPDATE #10, March 3, 2006

Jahangir Alam and Nura Alam, two workers from the Spectrum garment factory (Savar, Bangladesh), which collapsed on April 11, 2005, recently completed a European tour (Feb 8- 20) to raise awareness of the outstanding demands of the workers and their families in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

Although the proposed compensation fund, initiated by one of the companies that was producing at Spectrum, is gaining support, several key sourcing companies are still reluctant to commit themselves

Workers from collapsed KarstadtQuelle, Carrefour supplier still without adequate compensation

Feb 2006 - Jahangir Alam and Nura Alam, two workers from the Spectrum garment factory (Savar, Bangladesh), which collapsed on April 11, 2005, will be visiting Europe February 8th through 19th to raise awareness of the outstanding demands of the workers and their families in the wake of this terrible tragedy.

Most clients of collapsed factory still need to commit to long-term compensation fund

Spectrum-Shahriyar Update #9
December 15, 2005

Workers and families of workers killed in the April 11th collapse of the Spectrum -Shahriyar factory in Savar, Bangladesh are still seeking overtime wages and severance payments owed to them. Some workers injured in the collapse are still in need of follow-up medical treatment.

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CHEAP LABOR IN BANGLADESH

By Nils Klawitter (Spiegel online)

December 13, 2005 - In April 2005, 79 workers were killed when a Bangladeshi garment factory collapsed. The accident occurred on the other side of the world, and would have been instantly fogotten -- had European companies not been using the illegally enlarged plant as a cut-price sweatshop. What price profit?

http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,390198,00.html

Families of workers killed making European sweaters still awaiting compensation

Action demanded at six-month anniversary of factory collapse

October 11, 2005 - Adding insult to injury, survivors and families of the dead are STILL awaiting adequate compensation a full six months after the collapse of a garment factory in Bangladesh brought their lives to an abrupt and gruesome halt.

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SPECTRUM-SHAHRIYAR UPDATE # 8, October 5, 2005

October 11th marks six months since the Spectrum-Shahriyar factory collapsed, leaving 64 workers dead, at least 74 workers wounded and hundreds jobless. To date, emergency relief measures and medical needs have largely been met. Compensation payments to the families of the dead and the injured remains a big issue, thus far the process has been haphazard and the amounts wholly inadequate. Parties are still discussing a first proposal for a compensation trust fund. Fifty workers are still owed overtime payments and none of the workers have received their legally due severance pay.

Read more >>

SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE # 7, August 3, 2005

Dear Friends,
As reported in a recent update on the Spectrum-Shahriyar case in which a garment factory in Bangladesh collapsed on April 11th, more pressure is needed to ensure that the workers directly effected by this tragedy get the compensation they are entitled to, but also to see that this does not happen again. Please find below a sample letters that you can adapt and send to the companies who were sourcing at Spectrum-Shahriyar, to inform them of your concern and to urge them to take concrete steps to follow up on this case. Please send copies of your letters and responses to the Clean Clothes Campaign.

Read more >> | Take action Now! >>

SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE # 6, July 18, 2005

Outstanding issues remain

Thank-you to everyone who has taken action in relation to the Spectrum-Shahriyar case. This pressure on brands has had an impact, particularly on the demands relating to emergency medical relief and compensation. However, your efforts are still needed to make sure that brands sourcing at Spectrum-Shahriyar follow through on all the demands.

A second mission to Bangladesh was organized by the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI) to follow-up on the Spectrum-Shahriyar case and took place June 24th – 29th, 2005. Participants included representatives of BSCI member companies: Maren Boehm of KarstadtQuelle, Javier Chercoles of Inditex, and the local Bangladesh representative of Cotton Group. No representative of the BSCI itself was present during the second mission. Also present was Neil Kearney of the ITGLWF, and a representative of Gap. The delegations met with government officials of the Bangladesh Ministry of Textiles and Jute and the Ministry of Commerce as well as with representatives of the BGMEA and BKMEA, local unions and NGOs. Two meetings were also held with one of the factory owners.

Here you'll find a summary of what we know to date of the results of this mission.

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SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE # 5, June 16

As reported in the last update, a mission including representatives from Inditex (Zara), Cotton Group, Karstadt Quelle and the Business Social Compliance Initiative (BSCI), as well as Neil Kearney, General Secretary from the International Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF), a Spanish trade union representative and two other ITGLWF members visited Bangladesh from June 6 to 8 to follow up on the Spectrum case.

In this update, a summary of what we know to date of the results of this mission. While the Clean Clothes Campaign sees this as encouraging first steps, we are still disappointed that this comes months after the factory collapse. To date the Spectrum survivors and family of the dead remain without the money they are owed, jobless, and in some cases homeless and without food - the urgency of substantial follow up on this case cannot be overemphasized.

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Interviews with workers, survivors and relatives of workers who died in the Spectrum-Shahriyar disaster.

Transcripts of interviews with Spectrum workers and relatives of workers who died or are still missing as well as interviews with a few workers of the adjacent Shahriyar Fabrics factory. Most of the workers were contacted with the help of the National Garments Workers Federation (NGWF) and the Bangladesh Garments Independent Workers Federation (BGIWF) who took the researcher to the orthopaedic hospital. All names of the interviewees were omitted to protect their identity.

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SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE # 4, June 1

Dear Friends,

The CCC is distressed that to date no concrete action has been taken by the companies who were sourcing from Spectrum-Shahriyar factory that collapsed on April 11 to meet the outstanding demands on compensation factory workers and their families. Scores of workers were severely injured when the factory building collapsed and the death toll has now reached 74, the number of wounded is estimated to be more than 100 and over 5000 workers were left unemployed.

Read more >>

SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE #3, May 12, 2005

Protests continue as companies still fail to help their workers
More pressure needed on brands at collapsed Spectrum factory Bangladesh

Dear Friends,
Since the last update, the death toll has reached 74 and many workers are still missing, trapped under the debris of the Spectrum Sweaters factory building which collapsed on April 11th.

Read more >>

SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE #2, April 25, 2005

Dear Friends,
Please find here additional information on conditions at Spectrum Sweater, the Bangladesh garment factory producing for major European brands including Zara, Carrefour and Karstadt Quelle, that collapsed April 11th, leading to the death and injury of hundreds of men and women. Also included below is news on the reaction of companies that were sourcing at the factory, as well as information on additional demands to be followed up on in relation to this terrible tragedy. It’s clear that CCC efforts to push companies to take responsibility in this very serious case has had some effect but ongoing pressure will be needed to see that the demands voiced by workers and their organizations in Bangladesh will be met.

Read more >>

SPECTRUM - SHAHRIYAR UPDATE #1, April 15, 2005

The Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) has confirmed that a number of major European-headquartered garment companies produced their goods at the Bangladesh factory that collapsed early Monday April 11th. The death toll in this tragedy continues to rise, while the majority of workers remain trapped inside. To date only approximately 100 workers have reportedly emerged alive from the rubble. Reports on how many workers were in the factory at the time range from approximately 200 - 400.

Read more >>

Dec 2000, 53 die in Garment Factory fire Bangladesh

Aug 2001 , 24 Garment workers die in Bangladeshi fire alarm

June 2004 , 9 death and 50 wounded in garment factory tragedy Bangladesh

April 2005, 350 Bangladeshi Garment Workers Buried Alive