Denmark aims to improve factory safety in Bangladesh

Trade and development minister grants 25 million kroner to help workers on Bangladeshi clothing factories in the wake of the Rana Plaza collapse

It's been almost a year since the tragic collapse of the Rana Plaza clothing factory in Bangladesh killed more than 1,100 people and revealed the horrid conditions of textile workers in developing countries.

As the factories in Bangladesh also produce clothes for Danish companies like Bestseller and PWT group, the trade and development minister, Mogens Jensen, will grant 25 million kroner to the aid organisations who fight for improved working conditions at the clothing factories.

"It's obviously not good enough, when there are still problems at Bangladeshi clothing factories," Jensen said.

The money will help the UN labour organisation ILO and the Better Work programme to keep an eye on the factories in third world countries that make clothes for international brands like Nike, Levi's and Gap. It will also help to make sure that the employers follow international safety regulations.

Putting pressure on factories
The minister wants businesses and trade organisations to get involved if they want to make a change.

"This partnership won't succeed unless the companies put pressure on business partners in Bangladesh," Jensen said.

"Factory owners in Bangladesh have to understand that their international customers want to see this development. I also believe that they are ready to pay for it."





  • How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    How internationals can benefit from joining trade unions

    Being part of a trade union is a long-established norm for Danes. But many internationals do not join unions – instead enduring workers’ rights violations. Find out how joining a union could benefit you, and how to go about it.

  • Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals in Denmark rarely join a trade union

    Internationals are overrepresented in the lowest-paid fields of agriculture, transport, cleaning, hotels and restaurants, and construction – industries that classically lack collective agreements. A new analysis from the Workers’ Union’s Business Council suggests that internationals rarely join trade unions – but if they did, it would generate better industry standards.

  • Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    Novo Nordisk overtakes LEGO as the most desirable future workplace amongst university students

    The numbers are especially striking amongst the 3,477 business and economics students polled, of whom 31 percent elected Novo Nordisk as their favorite, compared with 20 percent last year.