i've been doing for 17 years now, my hurry of a probably in a bad team and slap alarm from a special block and i can lift it cost me not less than $15000.00 to establish my salon and lots of effort. i went through a lot of challenges and difficulties with 3 wars, the blockade and then the corona virus, and it's not easy to find a job in garza. nothing is easy at all, but we survived it all had a problem and i have a mechanical mckenneth even if it's targeted, more than once, i will not give on all the me this is all, these are the top stories, the head of the world health organization is calling for an international treaty to help the world prepare better for any future con damage that those are hello, how. how oblivious, as a global deal on virus planning and response is overdue. the defining

characteristic of the pandemic is the lack of sharing of data. information, pathogens, technologies, and resources. these are the challenges we are facing we have been facing since the pandemic started and even before a treaty would foster improve sharing trust and accountability and provide the solid foundation on which to build other mechanisms for global health security and egyptian delegation led by egypt intelligence chief has been in gaza for talks with the armed with hamas which controls the strip. as it was bombing campaign killed more than $200.00 pounds to indians and destroyed many buildings. hamas, far to thousands of rockets into israel. at least 13 israelis were killed. egypt. how to mediate the ceasefire. a city in southeast,

in brazil has recorded and 95 percent dropping corona virus deaths. nearly all adults have been vaccinated in sit on them in the state of south paulo. brazil has the world's 2nd highest number of recorded deaths. chinese state media reporting the governments relaxing its family planning restrictions to allow 3 children per couple. china is facing a demographic crisis with a dramatic decline in births in recent years. is positionally just says many obstacles remained before the coalition. government can be formed. yellow pete is in talks with ultra nationalist, natalie bennett, replace benjamin netanyahu as as longest serving prime minister. the deadline for la p to secure the deal is wednesday and is economy is dropped by 7.3 percent. and the last financial year, a recording its worst recession since independence corona virus loc, tons of millions of work, and driven 230000000 into poverty. that's feared the worst is yet to come. falling

the 2nd wave of covered 19. those are the headlines coming up next inside story. goodbye. news. news. news. news for the government industry in bangladesh, it was the worst disaster. the 2013 run a plaza collapse lead to a global agreement to improve safety standards. but that acord could expire soon, so who will protect the people who make many of our quote, this is inside story. ah, ah.

hello and welcome to the program. i'm how much i'm john. the ron a plaza disaster 8 years ago highlighted a dark side of the global fashion industry workers in the developing world. many of them women and children making clothes in dangerous conditions to be sold in wealthier nations. more than 1100 people died when the tower collapsed in bangladesh, the world's 2nd biggest clothing exporter, the factories inside made garments for major european and american brands. within 3 weeks, many heading those same brand signed a legally binding a cord to improve factory conditions across bangladesh. run a plaza collapsed 5 months after fire destroyed the tarzan fashions factory not far away, killing a 112 people. survivors of both incidents are still dealing with the fall out. i mean, what do i know? i have to take a lot of medicines and i'm in a lot of pain. there is no income source in my family. the brands who will be speaking to ask them to compensate and insure

a rehabilitation and lifelong medical treatments because we are living in human life. i mean, after my, i'm the c marks a vote for 3 sessions for 4 years. i suffered severe injuries. both my hands got fractured, my hips were dislocated. my neck bone was damaged, my head hurts and i couldn't sleep properly. the cord on fire and building safety in bangladesh was due to expire on monday. it's been extended by 3 months, while manufacturers and unions negotiate a replacement. more than 200 international brands find the agreement. it covers about 1600 factories that employ 2000000 workers. in the past 5 years, more than 38000 inspections have been carried out. unsafe factories have been made to improve standards or had their contracts canceled. this by the last minute extension. the agreement may be in jeopardy bung with issue. manufacturers are now backing the ready made garmin sustainability council that was set up last year.

unlike its predecessor, the new council has no legal authority to make factories comply. ah, all right, let's bring in our guess induct, now's my actor, president of some a liter garments ceramic federation and a workers' rights activist in brussels, been yvonne pepper senior legal advisor at the european center for constitutional and human rights. and in geneva, deputy general secretary of unique global union, a warm welcome to you all. now, let me start with you today. many say that the record on fire and building safety has led to real change in making factories far safer in bangladesh. from your perspective has that mostly been due to the fact that it is a legally binding agreement. thank you. actually like me. yes,

i will do very involved and it's been like i need landing and said and rebec media was live in bangladesh, vegas before around while last everybody mom. every moment that the fire and then will in color have been and had been so because that is no any mechanism and you get a binding where the worker can booked it. but after that, i'm the last 100 years of brands that branding every, basically the industrial and you need to union. so there is a lot of media and action and invest tax and, and which is very safe and perfect because this has, i'd love to have the accident back question. so there is no,

there is no relation, there is no meaning. so leave one extent and long from session that agreement. that's now that last moment that's likely national limit. so we don't want that, but we want full page up legal binding agreements because equity has been what, not only safety for the working one mission. ok. so you nodding to a lot of wood and asthma was saying there, so it looks like you want to jump in. but i also want to ask you what have the road blocks been in getting to the point where the chord was extended by 3 months. and are you concerned that it could ultimately be at risk of falling apart? let me say that i think that all from the, from the union side,

from the brown fight and from the industry side, we have a very strong inter trust for the r, a c, for the program in bangladesh, to succeed and to continue. and in order to do that, we were able to agree to the extension agreement, but really, the only one thing advised us a little bit more time that we can continue our negotiations for success or agreement for the current court, which basically end whatever ends today without this extension agreement, and what's really important from our point of view is stuck in addition to the r a c agreement, which is a place which is continues to be there for us as unions to be able to continue to play our part. we need to continue to have a strong agreement between the union's and the brands together. we can make sure that the brands that are participating in the r a c and then the other future country program wants to develop can really be held accountable for the commitments

that they're making under and such an agreement. and also it's important to have the independent and joint monitoring mechanism so that we don't return to the times of free run a plaza, but browns are basically doing self monitoring or participated voluntary programs. so these are 2 very important key elements for us to be want to see, continue in a successor agreement, been workers' rights groups. and in geo is have said that the chord has really led to significant improvement. and they also said that it could be used as a model for other countries that have similar production facilities, especially when it comes to the garment industry. do you agree with that? and also could you list some of the key achievements from your perspective of the court? yeah, indeed, the court is, it's significant different model, notably because us us ms bush here has previously highlighted so that legally binding agreements between unions on the why and,

and brands on the other hand to manage specific risk in their supply chain. so we seen the accord being extremely effective in bangladesh, in that context to identify fire and building safety risks in those brands, secondary brands, supply chains, and also remediating it no to be because brands are legally obligated to ensure that their suppliers are complying and participating in the court problem program and also that there is a solution being found for the financial implications of addressing no specific human rights risk. so we've really seen results under the 1st quarter successor agreement, and there's no reason to believe that that similar issues could be dealt with in other contexts like pakistan verifier and building safety is also an issue or even globally or on other issues or even in other industries because we see similar

models hosso being used, for example, in florida to deal know to be with labor ice conditions and to me to industry. so we see here a very strong model to actually address human rights risks and impacts and delivering results in a way that we haven't seen with voluntary regimes before. now, what are the conditions right now for garment workers in bangladesh? i mean, where do things stand? we know that conditions have improved in the factories, but have wages increased. is there a system in place whereby workers have compensation? if they get injured on the job, how is the situation for the workers in bangladesh, the most not be ban? come to our country or other country will place in is they can do for cheap labor. so in bangladesh we don't have the living with the stem, we have the minimum,

what is less than $100.00? so even, you know, in our law it's very difficult because most of our parliament member people and they are more less and they get more advantages from that even that lives nation. when m. n meant we will actually be li. inger. then when you get into pals and talk, that is like more than it's like more than one of those in europe, or if you did a new one or 2000 year old. so the fact is that i'm paying cash on nothing and it's the city. so we had some programs because the last though, when people used to call my dad and it's very shame and very painful, it's because well that's how they work these martyr. so that time they

open that door for you will meet the minimum with increasing and also some back to me and you have collective bargaining back in the main ground drive. it's not much that because our were given the 19 the fact the whole dishes love don't but they are working in the to the, the brand. the plan would be about the brand for the monitoring. and the, i mean all that weeks and had that done. what, but even though workers i'm not getting any benefit, but we've had some selling this and do you think that would be the rate that boy and then they send them also in new them and also did and lost their job. so the foundation seems, looks like love, but reality is not that because as long as they're living with them and then the

violence is increasing every day. and it's better than that. it's more and more so the that the issue as long as not addressing the working on mission or not. and that we all please back or is not look, we need independent and need been you were reacting to a lot of what nozzle was saying. did you want to jump in? i can only reinforce what, what my is saying like bangladesh is, is states read are still room for significant progress in terms of guaranteeing actually what our minimum standards of labor rights. i'm thinking about joining from a union of your own choosing or getting a salary that is right or a factory. and i think what is important here again, in relationship to the courts, is that the court of course, only deals with fire and building safety and safety in general. but that it's important that as long as the states of bangladesh is not guaranteeing dose rights that brands and us national consensus, lisa,

you ended brands and retailers need to make sure that at least in their own supply chains, those rights are getting respected. and in that sense, the st. the signing or the accession and continuation of individual legally binding agreements with unions seems like a crucial step forward in order for brands to meet your expectations as, as outlined on the united nations alika. so we know that while improvements have been made, while conditions have gotten safe for, you know, many factories are still a lot more work to do. i mean, that's kind of what it boils down to, right? but i also want to ask you, what is the government's role and all this? what is the government of bangladesh been doing when it comes to these negotiations? so the government of fund dash of child is not part of our negotiations. there of course, a regulatory body for the industry in the country. but basically the r a c, where the, the brands, the unions and the industry are together as a private industry initiatives. it would be our interest in the future to make it

the, the body that overseas safety in the garbage industry for the entire country. but for that, a lot of investment still needs to happen both into the local infrastructure and capacity and resources on the government side. because really it should be the government who does the inspections and to overseas are the, the health and safety standards in the industry. and i'm till that is happening. i think it's important that we continue with this private initiative to, to safeguard what we have achieved. because i think there is no doubt that the industry is much improved compared to those 2013 been b, m b started. but as you rightly said, there is a lot of work to do. even the factories that are covered by the court are not fully remediated. so we have a big part of work still ahead of us. and in terms of rights and improvement of i think there is

a lot of time that needs to pass as well. and we have training programs on the ground health and safety work committees together with management in the factories being set up or do with things the attitude to those kind of new institutions don't change over night. and it will take some time for everybody to, to really grow together and work together in a natural way. now my, there have been critics of the r s. c that have question the makeup of its board. some of these critics has said that there may be too many members that are representing companies that have financial stakes in the garment industry in bangladesh. and that there may not be enough members who represent workers' rights organizations. i want to ask you, do you think that what the r s c has been doing has been effective? what kind of role have they been playing so far and would they continue to be effective? if this accord expires in another 3 months, we do the pending and we didn't we didn't track at all

because, you know, we haven't done a little bullying him. but the funny side, they are very much luc after i'm very much and i see him because it will you sending them. they will not be sending the workers because the act will be like the fact that when they're transplant, if they're not giving compensation eslie at work, the article age violet and east south. legally, they have to be one of the workers and also many areas and equities not only was safety also in texas, because when we started doing the factory and we had, we have one factory, you know, affects the lock except the union. but when they come with the stablish that actually the union i did it with the committee member on the

work effect. so then the union and the best 3 and brand and when they have initial meeting and all the workers may be better, they are accepted. you know that fact that it has also signed the collective bargaining agreement. so also we have the payment issue, i need any other issues of the issue is also sometimes many cases we get that team so i see him not be work like that. and also echoed was also been to the union if that is in the violence also they have after 6 months. so we want this kind of shape. we want to be able to pick them, which would be very neutral and independent. he was not against that industry because if the practice he said that was said to be the business will be

more appropriate and more bitter way, which i mean i see that isn't that we don't have live in. yeah, the policy didn't write if the record were to expire and if there is no other legally binding program in its place, how would that impact the work of the r s. c going forward and what might the consequences be for workers in bangladesh as unions to have take a very good position right from the beginning when the r s t was formed in, in june last year, we will only be part of the r a c. if there is a legally binding agreement in the background between the union's and the brand, we believe we need such an agreement in place to be able to fully enforce all the commitment and obligations of brands to hold them accountable. and we will not be part often r a c. if such an agreement and placed,

we had announced that we would withdraw from the r a c pending and you agreement. so we not be have an interim agreement which has now been signed by i think it was 10 brands already just after 2 hours today. we will continue to work in the rest until the end of this extension agreement and be hope we will be able to continue to work in the setting of the r a see beyond that, if we are able to to agree a new agreement. but for us, it's a question of credibility and he will not be part of an organization. but we believe that some of these elements for real credibility lacking been, i want to take a step back for a moment and talk about something else, has had a big impact on the economy in bangladesh. of course, that's the cove in 1900 pandemic. i want to ask you, what has that meant for workers in the garment industry in bangladesh and the global demand for apparel has been way down because the pandemic. so how devastating has this been for the garment, industry and bangladesh,

and how devastating has it been for workers? i think it's hard to say that it has been particularly devastating for boat suppliers in my dash as well as, as workers because as result of a drop in demand and as well, it's not necessarily a voluntary one because lots of governments and consumer countries mandated a closure of, of non essential shop. so including floating stores which at least force the on the retailer that does not have an online presence to, to deal with with orders that were already programmed going forward. so a number of retailers have then decided to abandon every contract or any order that they had old standing, even if that was already agreed on. if that was already in production, if that was about to be shipped or if, even if it was be shipped and a number of brands had gone. so in terms that are not necessarily coherent with

either their contract or statute. so, but simply because they could, because we do need to realize that in the garment industry, there is quite significant are in balance between brands on the one hand and suppliers and the other hand. so brands just abandoned contract, even if they themselves still have obligations and low contracts, for example, to pay suppliers for partially incurred costs or other provisions of the contract. and suppliers largely accepted that because they were not in a position to, to district as or to enforce the contract to be seen very little disputes about it . because most suppliers, when, when cool it's is better, more managed, want to resume those business relations. so suppliers really between a rock and a hard place and they themselves don't have necessarily the ability to stomach that . so they are forced to do exactly the same with their workers and your mouse lay

off rich region which workers on the streets without, while, depending on the country, but without necessarily having access to social protection measures. so you see this whole cascading effects going down. so that decision had much impact on the suppliers as well as on workers. now my, you spoke a little earlier about just how much worry there is among the workers of the garment industry in bangladesh, about the idea that the court might expire. you know, when you take that, that fear and that worry along with the effect, the devastating effect that covered 19 has had on the garment industry and on the economy and on the population of bangladesh. what is it like for workers right now? how dire is situation, how much are they concerned about the state of affairs right now. as i mentioned, that brand on the brand side, 90 name,

about monitoring, pasting only the lights and also not being the, there are in there. all of these are in the how's it, but most are work a 100 person working in the actually that's the social safety issue. now i didn't nick t. it's also very absent because our tech to the fcc. and we don't have the last because it's a monetary sort of building and they are working full time and there is no, what do you see about the health issue definition. what diction, landman, issue, know, the home, them and why are you specially the, are you banned leading while are you not going to any of these need to be done

to be there? we don't want expression and voice and stuff. bad. also how to get parts to the piano. right. and also you know, that we talk live that a t c, but it's not, you know, what is in the, everybody's thinking about their feet and their mar, my gosh, that, how got there? i found livelihood. is that most of the female lot. ringback gosh, that was a lot of has been abused, and the harpy or women cannot walk in the factory because they don't have the actual get it have victory, but they are who you are and i be back when you speak or go what even asking nobody's talking about also and there are not properly really physically, mentally because they don't have the best thing. i met friendly. what i would thing

is in bullshit and everything is i'm not, i'm sorry to interrupt you. we are out of time. so we're going to have to leave the conversation there, but i want to thank all our guests very much. now smarter. been von pepper and bush to go and thank you to for watching. you can see this and all of our previous programs. again, anytime by visiting our website 0 dot com and for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook dot com, forward slash ha inside story. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is at a inside story. for me, my, how much i'm doing the whole thing here for now. the news news, news, news,

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dropping corona virus deaths after facts and even nearly a. it's not all.