On April 24th 2013 1134 people were killed and hundreds were injured when the Rana Plaza building in Savar, Bangladesh collapsed. The unprecedented scale of the disaster meant a coordinated, systematic approach was required to ensure the victims, their families and dependents would not have to endure ill-health and financial hardship resulting from the death of a family member or life changing injuries.
UPDATE: RPCC announce that sufficient funds now available to complete payments under the Rana Plaza arrangement
June 8th 2015
The Rana Plaza Coordination Committee are delighted to announce that
the $30million target required in the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund has
been met, following a large anonymous donation received in the last few
days. For the full amounts received and pledged see www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org/donors.
With the funding target now met the Rana Plaza Claims Administration
will begin work to finalise and pay all of the Awards agreed under the
Arrangement, including loss of income payments, medical care and
supplementary payments, to all eligible beneficiaries. We expect that
this work should be complete and all final amounts paid to beneficiaries
over the coming weeks. We will continue to provide progress reports
until the final claims are processed and awarded.
The RPCC would like to thank all those who have dedicated so much
time over the last two years to help design and implement such a
ground-breaking initiative. In particular we would like to thank the ILO
in Geneva and Dhaka for chairing and designing the programme, the
Commissioners who have overseen the practical implementation of the
Arrangement, the RPCA staff, members of the Coordination Committee and
all those who agreed to donate to the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund.
For more detailed information regarding the awards due to be paid out
see
http://www.ranaplaza-arrangement.org/news/the-rana-plaza-coordination-committee-pays-out-almost-10-million-usd
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In September 2013 representatives from the government, the
garment industry both locally and internationally, trade unions and
non-governmental organisations, came together to form the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee. With the UN agency International Labour Organisation (ILO)
acting as a neutral chair, their purpose was to develop a comprehensive
and independent process that would deliver support to the victims,
their families and dependants in a predictable manner consistent with
international labour standards. This process was agreed in late 2013,
and established through an agreement known as “the Arrangement.”
The Arrangement has established a claims process,
which will be implemented by a range of local organisations and
international experts, who will support victims, their families and
their dependants to submit claims, assess the level of payments to be
provided to each beneficiary, undertake medical assessments and provide
follow up support where needed. These payments will be funded through
the Rana Plaza Donors Trust Fund,
which is open to contributions from any organisation, company or
individual wishing to support the delivery of financial and medical
support to the Rana Plaza families.
What is the Rana Plaza Coordination Committee and who is involved?
The Coordination Committee is a multi-stakeholder body
tasked with developing and overseeing the Arrangement. It includes
representatives from the Bangladesh government, the Bangladesh industry,
global brands and retailers, Bangladeshi and international trade unions
and Bangladeshi and international Non- Governmental Organisations
(NGOs). The UN agency International Labour Organisation (ILO) acts as a
neutral chair.
What is “the Arrangement”?
The Arrangement provides a single approach for establishing
the amount of financial support and level of medical care to be
provided to the victims of the disaster, consistent with international
labour standards concerning employment injury benefits (ILO Convention
No.121). It is in the form of a practical agreement, signed by all major
stakeholders, which lays out steps for the development and
implementation of such an approach. It has been signed by leading buyers
(Primark, Loblaw, Bonmarche, El Corte Ingles), the Bangladesh Ministry
of Labour, Bangladesh Employers’ Federation (BEF), Bangladesh Garment
Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), IndustriALL Bangladesh
National Council, Bangladesh Institute for Labour Studies (BILS),
Industriall Global Union and Clean Clothes Campaign.
How will awards be calculated?
Each beneficiary will receive payments based on their
individual circumstances and needs. Each claim will be independently
assessed and calculated, based on a formula developed by actuarial
experts in line with standards embedded in the ILO Convention No. 121.
The assessment will consider both financial and medical needs, both of
which will be covered in the final award.
How do victims, their families and their dependants make a claim?
The claims process has been designed so it is easily
accessible and will ensure payments to beneficiaries are calculated in a
way that is consistent, transparent and fair. The process will include
an assessment of losses incurred by each family, assessment of medical
needs for injured workers and the provision of appropriate medical care
where needed. Advice and support will provided to families wishing to
make a claim, so that they understand the process and can raise any
questions and concerns they may have. The process will be overseen by
the Coordination Committee, and implemented with the support of
independent commissioners and externally contracted services.
