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6 Months After Rana Plaza Tragedy

92pc workers could not return to work

Staff Correspondent
Many Rana Plaza victims are still awaiting compensation with majority of them yet to recover and return to work even after six months of the disaster, says a survey.
The ActionAid has conducted a survey on 2,297 former workers
and family members of the dead and found that the victims suffering from either physical or psychological injuries are not even close to recovery.
According to the survey, 92 percent of the workers have not returned to work. Of them, around 94 percent reported they
received no legal benefits including sick pay or compensation from their employers.
Rana Plaza, the eight-storey building that collapsed on April 24, housed several garment factories and shops. As many as 63 percent of the surveyed victims said injuries like amputations, paralysis and severe pains in the body have stopped them from going back to work.
Moreover, 92 percent have reported of being deeply traumatised, with more than half experiencing insomnia and trembling from loud sounds. Some said they were even scared to walk into a building or an enclosed room.
The ActionAid released the survey report in London yesterday. The survey came as the Bangladesh government along with the global alliance of trade unions continue to negotiate compensation for survivors and families of the deceased.
The report also reveals that the victims are facing severe financial difficulty. More than half of the surveyed said they had mounting debts and over 90 percent said they had no savings due to low wages before the factory collapse.
Only one company, Primark, has given Tk 15,000 each to 3,300 workers. The government has also given Tk 22 lakh each to 777 people, around one-third of the victims and their family members.
“While corporations sit on their hands, the victims of the Rana Plaza disaster are in urgent need of medical and psychological support, as well as the financial means to feed and care for their families," said Farah Kabir, ActionAid's country director in Bangladesh.
The report quoted 21-year-old Naznin Akhter Nazma, who was pregnant when pulled out from the rubble and lost her husband in the collapse.
“I heaved a sigh of relief when the doctor said my unborn baby was OK, but now I am worried that I can't provide for my child. I haven't had any compensation. My rent is five months overdue and soon shopkeepers will stop giving me credit for food,” Nazma was quoted as saying.
Of the 2,297 people surveyed over phone, 1,509 were survivors and 788 family members of those who died. All 2,421 survivors and families of the 1,133 deceased could not be contacted due to change of cellphone numbers, ActionAid states in the report.
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