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As part of its campaign to ensure all workers in the garments industry in Bangladesh are protected, and following the catastrophic garments factory building collapse which killed 1,100 workers followed 6 months later by a fire in a second factory which killed 10 people; the TUC announced a Saturday 23 November day of action at Edinburgh Woollen Mills and Peacocks stores only two days ago.
Despite months of campaigning, they had been refusing to join nearly all their competitors and take action to fix dangerous factories in Bangladesh and sign the Trade Union backed Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord.
Authorities and global clothing companies have pledged to improve safety standards in Bangladesh's garment industry after the Rana Plaza collapse and numerous other fatal accidents.
 English companies commissioning work in Bangladesh have signed the accord, leaving Edinburgh Woollen Mills and Peacocks stores alone in having not signed the agreement as well as denying previously that they used suppliers from Bangladesh at all.
Then with only two days to go before the TUC action this coming Saturday, and just as placards and leafleting teams were being prepared; the Edinburgh Woollen Mill group signed the Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety Accord, a real win for garment workers in Bangladesh.
This union-backed agreement commits Edinburgh Woollen Mills, and their subsidiaries Peacocks and Jane Norman, to an independent programme of inspections and safety measures for their factories in Bangladesh. This will make working life safer and more secure for the workers who make clothes for their stores and brands.
Edinburgh Woollen Mills have done the right thing by signing the Accord and we welcome their decision. The Accord now has 115 corporate signatories, covering most of the UK clothing industry working in Bangladesh, and many other firms internationally.
It’s also a big win for everyone – campaigning organisations, trade unions and individuals – involved in the campaign. It has really made a difference, and proves the power people have when they take action.
But Edinburgh Woollen Mills haven’t yet agreed to compensate the victims of last year’s Tazreen factory fire, or their families, as other retailers whose clothing was found in the factory have done.
Sunday will be the anniversary of that fire, in which over 100 workers died. Many were injured too badly ever to work again, and the hardship inflicted on their families has been immense. It is hoped that Edinburgh Woollen Mills will add to the commitment they have made this week on the Accord, and contribute to compensation for the victims of Tazreen.
Source: TUC
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