WRC Recommendation to Affiliates on Bangladesh

At its meeting on Friday, October 18, the WRC Board of Directors adopted the following policy concerning the worker safety crisis in Bangladesh:

“Recognizing the terrible loss of life among Bangladeshi apparel workers over the last year;

Recognizing the grave ongoing threats to the safety of workers in that country, including workers producing university logo apparel;

Recognizing that there is no labor rights goal more fundamental than preventing workers from being killed on the job;

Recognizing that the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, now signed by more than 100 brands and retailers, is a ground-breaking agreement that holds the promise of bringing an end to the mass fatality disasters in Bangladesh garment factories; and

Recognizing that participation in the Accord is the surest way for licensees to protect the safety of workers in their supply chains in Bangladesh;

The WRC recommends that colleges and universities add, to their existing labor rights requirements for licensees, a requirement that licensees that sourced, produced or purchased collegiate apparel in Bangladesh as of January 1, 2013, or do so at any point thereafter, become signatories to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.”

In consideration of the high level of interest in the Bangladesh issue among affiliate universities, the WRC will be scheduling a conference call to provide additional information and answer questions. We will notify you shortly as to the date of this call. In the meantime, please feel free to contact us with any thoughts or questions.

Scott Nova 
Worker Rights Consortium 
5 Thomas Circle NW, 5th Floor 
Washington DC 20005 
ph  202 387 4884 
fax 202 387 3292 
[email protected] 
www.workersrights.org