MandarK
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US lawmakers urge Obama's action in Tazreen fire
A group of US lawmakers wrote to President Barack Obama on Wednesday urging action in response to the November 24 fire incident of Tazreen Fashions Ltd that claimed the lives of 112 workers.
The group led by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) also sought Obama's interference in ensuring that clothing coming into the US particularly products for their military is made in factories that protect their workforce.
The letter was signed by US senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA).
The letter reads," Last month, a fire in the Tazreen Fashions Ltd in Bangladesh killed 112 people. Following the tragedy, it came to light that the workers were ordered to stay at their sewing machines after fire alarms went off, were trapped inside because exit doors were locked, and were unable to fight the fire because fire extinguishers inside the plant did not work."
"While the scale of this tragedy is appalling in itself, the fact that this factory was making licensed apparel bearing US Marine Corps logos for a US Government contractor compounds the misfortune. Soffe, a subsidiary of Delta Apparel, is an outfitter for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. As shown in the attached photos from the factory, in July, Soffe placed an order for apparel bearing Marine Corps logos in the Tazreen factory where 112 workers lost their lives," the letter elaborates.
It is unacceptable for products made for members of our military or bearing the symbols of our armed forces, and sold at base exchanges around the world, to be sub-contracted out to factories that do not have the most minimal worker protections, wrote the lawmakers.
The US lawmakers applauded the Marine Corps for acting quickly to terminate its licensing agreement with Soffe and wrote, "However, it should not take the deaths of 112 people to demand accountability. Furthermore, this is an issue that goes beyond the Marine Corps. More needs to be done to assure greater transparency and accountability in the supply chains of all US Government contractors and licensees. The Marine Corps should lead by example and make certain that their supply contracts and licensing agreements do not have provisions that may make it easy for manufacturers to hide the source of their product, such as only affixing a logo at US factories."
We urge you to use all the tools at your disposal to ensure that the federal government does not pursue or continue contracts or licensing agreements with prime contractors, sub-contractors, or licensees that fail to guarantee basic and fundamental rights for their workers, the letter added.
A group of US lawmakers wrote to President Barack Obama on Wednesday urging action in response to the November 24 fire incident of Tazreen Fashions Ltd that claimed the lives of 112 workers.
The group led by Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) also sought Obama's interference in ensuring that clothing coming into the US particularly products for their military is made in factories that protect their workforce.
The letter was signed by US senators Jeff Bingaman (D-NM), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Al Franken (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Congressman George Miller (D-CA).
The letter reads," Last month, a fire in the Tazreen Fashions Ltd in Bangladesh killed 112 people. Following the tragedy, it came to light that the workers were ordered to stay at their sewing machines after fire alarms went off, were trapped inside because exit doors were locked, and were unable to fight the fire because fire extinguishers inside the plant did not work."
"While the scale of this tragedy is appalling in itself, the fact that this factory was making licensed apparel bearing US Marine Corps logos for a US Government contractor compounds the misfortune. Soffe, a subsidiary of Delta Apparel, is an outfitter for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. As shown in the attached photos from the factory, in July, Soffe placed an order for apparel bearing Marine Corps logos in the Tazreen factory where 112 workers lost their lives," the letter elaborates.
It is unacceptable for products made for members of our military or bearing the symbols of our armed forces, and sold at base exchanges around the world, to be sub-contracted out to factories that do not have the most minimal worker protections, wrote the lawmakers.
The US lawmakers applauded the Marine Corps for acting quickly to terminate its licensing agreement with Soffe and wrote, "However, it should not take the deaths of 112 people to demand accountability. Furthermore, this is an issue that goes beyond the Marine Corps. More needs to be done to assure greater transparency and accountability in the supply chains of all US Government contractors and licensees. The Marine Corps should lead by example and make certain that their supply contracts and licensing agreements do not have provisions that may make it easy for manufacturers to hide the source of their product, such as only affixing a logo at US factories."
We urge you to use all the tools at your disposal to ensure that the federal government does not pursue or continue contracts or licensing agreements with prime contractors, sub-contractors, or licensees that fail to guarantee basic and fundamental rights for their workers, the letter added.
