Made in Bangladesh: 10 years after the deadly Rana Plaza collapse - The Fifth Estate

0:02[M ar k Ke ll ey ] On t hi s ed it io n of Th e Fi ft h Es ta te .. .

0:04[crowd chanting]

0:09Ten years later, we're back at Rana Plaza,

0:11back in Bangladesh.

0:13[Mark] In 2013, more than 1100 people

0:16died here making your clothes.

0:18Do you recognize these shorts?

0:20[speaking other language]

0:21[Mark] A decade later,

0:23we reconnect with a worker

0:24who survived this massive factory collapse.

0:27[Mark] You've had such a huge sacrifice in your life

0:30just to make clothes for Canadians.

0:33And what about the Canadian brand

0:34at the centre of the disaster?

0:37[Galen Weston] I'm troubled that our company

0:39can still be part of such an unspeakable tragedy.

0:42Were their promises forgotten,

0:45like the site of the tragedy itself?

0:47[Kalpona Akalpona] They don't have any money

0:49for their medical that they need to taken care of.

0:51[Brad Loewen] So, to not have them done

0:53that many years later is shocking.

0:56[Mark] We're in Bangladesh on the hunt for answers.

0:59This factory makes clothes

1:01for Joe Fresh, a Canadian company.

1:02And these are the inspection reports,

1:04and you've had ongoing fire safety issues.

1:08We'll show you the price the workers continue to pay

1:11to make the clothes you wear.

1:13Do you have enough money to eat?

1:18My name is Mark Kelley, I'm with The Fifth Estate.

1:21So, we have been trying to get in touch with you

1:23for a couple of weeks.

1:25I'm Mark Kelley.

1:26This is The Fifth Estate.

1:30-[siren wailing] -[dramatic music playing]

1:34[Mark] It was as quick as it was deadly.

1:38In 90 agonising seconds, Rana Plaza collapsed.

1:44Built illegally on a swamp, it was a deathtrap.

1:50Even after workers detected gaping cracks

1:53in the foundation,

1:54they were ordered back into the building

1:56hours before it collapsed.

2:02[lamenting music playing]

2:051134 people died here...

2:09about 2500 more were injured,

2:12some for life...

2:16making clothes for bestselling brands

2:18like Benetton, Zara, Walmart

2:21and Loblaw-owned Joe Fresh.

2:25It was that Canadian connection

2:26that brought me here ten years ago.

2:32[dramatic music playing]

2:35And it's brought me back...

2:39to find out what,

2:40if anything, has changed for the people

2:43who make the clothes you wear.

2:51Our first stop...

2:54Rana Plaza.

2:57It's upsetting to see this

2:58because I remember when I was here ten years ago,

3:01family members were coming up

3:03with pictures of their loved ones who were lost,

3:06buried in the rubble.

3:07People whose bodies were never recovered.

3:09And today...

3:11it's like a garbage dump.

3:16It's just forgotten.

3:17It's, like, the whole disaster itself,

3:19all those people, all those lives lost...

3:22just simply forgotten.

3:27[soulful music playing]

3:30[Mark] If not for this tired-looking monument,

3:32you wouldn't know this is the site

3:34of the deadliest garment factory collapse

3:36in modern history.

3:39The site is used as an open toilet,

3:42marred by mounds of scraps

3:45from a neighbouring garment factory.

3:48Business booms as memories fade.

4:00Ten years ago,

4:01I remember meeting Aruti Rani Das.

4:05She spent days trapped in the rubble.

4:09Her mother died in the disaster.

4:12Aruti lost her lower leg.

4:14She was 17 years old.

4:18Aruti sewed 150 pocket seams an hour,

4:22making these Joe Fresh shorts for Canadians.

4:25How do you feel when you look at those pants?

4:32[translator] I feel sad.

4:33If I didn't work in that factory,

4:35this would not have happened.

4:39I feel very bad seeing these pants.

4:42[Mark] She said then she couldn't work anymore,

4:45so we wanted to know...

4:46[dramatic music playing]

4:51...how is she surviving today?

4:53[speaking other language]

4:54[speaking other language]

4:56[speaking other language]

5:00[pensive music playing]

5:11[speaking other language]

5:14[Mark] It's so nice to see you after ten years,

5:17but I'm curious to know, how are you?

5:20How are you feeling? How is your life these days?

5:40[Mark] She now goes by the name Shumi Akhter,

5:43after marrying and converting to Islam.

5:48She's the mother of an eight-year-old.

5:51The world was paying attention ten years ago

5:54and said that they--

5:55We cared about the workers like you.

5:58Do you feel you've been forgotten now?

6:21[Mark] Are broken lives and broken promises

6:23the legacy of Rana Plaza?

6:26We wanted to find out.

6:29[crowd chanting]

6:33[Mark] In the aftermath of the collapse,

6:35there was outrage.

6:37[crowd chanting]

6:39In Canada, one brand in particular

6:41found itself in the crosshairs of condemnation.

6:46[Weston] This was a senseless tragedy.

6:49It should not have happened.

6:51[Mark] Loblaw President Galen Weston acknowledged

6:54Joe Fresh clothes were being made in Rana Plaza.

6:57I'm troubled that despite a clear commitment

7:00to the highest standards of ethical sourcing,

7:03our company can still be part of such an unspeakable tragedy.

7:08[crowd chanting]

7:11[Mark] Back in 2013,

7:13we investigated those high standards.

7:16We got a prison interview

7:17with Bazlus Samad Adnan.

7:21Jailed after the collapse,

7:23Joe Fresh paid him $6 million dollars a year

7:26to make clothes for them at Rana Plaza.

7:29And yet, he could not name one Loblaw employee

7:32who had ever visited his factory.

7:36Weston promised to put Loblaw staff

7:38on the ground in Bangladesh.

7:40That means an increased number of interactions

7:43with these facilities.

7:45It means spot checks at a higher frequency.

7:48[Mark] In a statement, Loblaw also promised "long-term"

7:51and "direct financial compensation"

7:53for the victims and their families.

7:55Our priority is to do what's right

7:57for those affected by the tragedy.

8:00[Mark] Loblaw then signed on to a landmark accord

8:03with other international brands

8:04that would force companies in Bangladesh

8:07to fix their safety problems

8:09or lose the business.

8:10[dramatic music playing]

8:17You may have thought the Rana disaster

8:19would be bad for business in Bangladesh,

8:22but far from it.

8:24Garment exports have more than doubled in the past decade,

8:27employing more than four million people.

8:30So, the stakes couldn't be higher

8:32for this country to reassure the world,

8:34this is a safe place to make your clothes.

8:39[Mark] The accord ushered in an era

8:40of independent inspections

8:42for fire,

8:44electrical and structural safety.

8:48And the group was led by a Canadian.

8:51The magnitude of the task, I think,

8:53was entirely lost on me.

8:55[Mark] Winnipeg's Brad Loewen is a fire protection engineer

8:58who'd never set foot in Bangladesh before.

9:01How many buildings did you encounter

9:04that had structural issues

9:05that could have made them the next Rana Plaza?

9:09Boy, I would say in the end

9:11it was on the order of 50.

9:1450 that we needed to evacuate

9:17sort of within hours

9:18of doing our initial inspection.

9:20Yeah.

9:21[reflective music playing]

9:24[Mark] Fire safety was an issue, too.

9:27In 2012, as many as 120 people died

9:30in a fire at the Tazreen factory in Bangladesh.

9:34Doors were blocked by boxes.

9:36The building lacked fire exits.

9:39And then fire protection-wise,

9:41which was, um, horrendous,

9:45like very unsafe.

9:46These buildings were fire traps?

9:48Yeah, yeah.

9:49[pensive music playing]

9:51[Mark] Loewen was handed a list of 1700 factories

9:54and given one year to inspect them all.

9:58[Brad] So, we would send in

10:01three teams of engineers.

10:03Over half of these factories

10:05had locks on their exit doors,

10:08and we made them cut them off.

10:11[Mark] But when Loewen threatened to close factories

10:13until they fixed their problems,

10:15he said he got pushback from the brands.

10:19I would get calls from the sourcing people,

10:22and saying,

10:23"Well, no,

10:24we're happy to pull out of that factory

10:26if you're saying it's unsafe.

10:28Our order should be done in two weeks,

10:30and then we will pull out".

10:32And I said, "No, no, no",

10:34but they also had to learn quite quickly that yes,

10:38in fact, if these factories

10:40were that immediately dangerous that

10:43they weren't going to finish their two-week run of jeans

10:46or what have you, that it was right now.

10:48Were you surprised

10:49that the brands were pushing back

10:50when they'd signed on to this?

10:52Yes, yeah. To the extent--

10:56Yes, I was surprised.

10:58I'm told that there was a movement

11:01behind the scenes to get you fired?

11:03Um, yeah...

11:08well, I don't know what your source is on that,

11:10-I wouldn't-- -A very, very good one.

11:12Okay, I wouldn't be surprised.

11:14But the fact is,

11:16they couldn't just outright do it.

11:18[Mark] In the ten years since the Rana disaster,

11:21fewer than 75 garment workers have died on the job.

11:26Phenomenal change has happened in last ten years.

11:29And that has happened because of the Accord.

11:34[Mark] Kalpona Akter started working

11:36in garment factories as a 12-year-old.

11:40Today, she is one of the country's

11:41fiercest advocates for workers' rights.

11:45So, this is the first time

11:47someone counted workers as a human and worker,

11:51not like any other equipment.

11:54[Mark] Factory owners didn't have a voice

11:56on the Accord's steering committee.

11:59But they did have a voice in parliament.

12:01At the time of the collapse,

12:03about 30 of the country's 300 MP's

12:06owned a garment factory.

12:08So that's why from the day one,

12:10they didn't like the Accord,

12:11and they are within the government,

12:13so they were able to make government understand

12:16that Accord ruining the industry.

12:19[Mark] One owner, whose factory was shut down

12:21after he was accused of

12:23falsifying structural safety records,

12:25took the Accord to court.

12:27A judge then kicked the Accord out of the country.

12:30Yeah, the courts decided through a case

12:34brought by a factory owner

12:36that the Accord was no longer welcome.

12:39It was clear that factory owners,

12:42you know, ran the show.

12:43Very influential.

12:46[Mark] A new inspection system would be put in place

12:49with one major difference.

12:51The powerful factory owners would help oversee it.

12:54When we come back...

12:56[Mark] Every day, workers are going to work

12:57in these buildings

12:59that have potentially life-threatening

13:01situations, hazards.

13:02Isn't this a concern?

13:03Yes, it is,

13:05but has anything happened?

13:08No, nothing has happened.

13:09Are you waiting for something to happen?

13:13[crowd chanting]

13:17[Mark] We're in Bangladesh...

13:19[dramatic music playing]

13:22...marking ten years since the collapse of Rana Plaza.

13:26The anger,

13:28the profound sense of loss still present here today.

13:33It was a tragedy that killed 1134 people.

13:39We want to know,

13:41are the people who make our clothing

13:42any safer today?

13:45Bangladesh now has a new

13:47building safety inspection agency.

13:50We've been invited to tour a factory

13:52with their inspectors.

13:56This is Epyllion Knitwears...

14:00with 22,000 workers,

14:02one of the biggest garment making companies

14:04in Bangladesh.

14:07[speaking other language]

14:12[Mark] About 1200 workers have been called to a meeting

14:15to go over safety protocols.

14:20Urged to speak out if they see any workplace dangers.

14:26And while this feels, in part,

14:27like a performance for the inspectors...

14:31the message is clear.

14:33This is the new and improved Bangladesh.

14:37What was your memory of Rana Plaza,

14:41uh, ten years ago?

14:43Very painful memory.

14:45The feeling was sadness,

14:47urgency, need of change.

14:49All these things put together.

14:52[Mark] Abdul Haque heads the new agency

14:54called the RSC.

14:55He's the new sheriff in town

14:57after the international safety agency, the Accord,

15:01was kicked out of Bangladesh in 2020.

15:04If the Accord was so effective

15:07and helped improve building safety,

15:09why is it gone?

15:10Good question.

15:12They did not involve the garments industry

15:15from the very beginning.

15:17[Mark] It's true, factory owners

15:19weren't included in the decision making

15:21at the Accord.

15:22But that was by design.

15:25They were the ones being policed.

15:28So, they were not liking

15:29the policing approach anymore.

15:33Of course, the factory owners were--

15:35They didn't like the fact that

15:36there was this policing agency

15:38that was telling them to clean up their act.

15:41Why do the factory owners get to decide

15:43whether the Accord stays or goes?

15:45It's the Bangladesh, uh,

15:48justice system decided, not the factory owners.

15:51Based on a complaint

15:52and a case filed by the factory owners.

15:55Well, I think change is the name of the game.

15:59-So-- -Is it change for the better?

16:01It is change for the better.

16:04[Mark] Is it really change for the better?

16:06We did our own digging to find out.

16:10One of the most active Canadian clothing companies

16:13in Bangladesh is Loblaw-owned Joe Fresh.

16:17Our team took a close look at the inspection reports

16:20for the 21 factories they have used since 2019.

16:24Some serious safety concerns were raised in the reports.

16:28One factory had an antiquated

16:30fire alarm system that took years to be updated.

16:35Another factory used by Joe Fresh

16:37had a missing sprinkler system in 2017.

16:41The issue is currently listed in a report

16:43as "Pending Verification."

16:47And then, there is Meditex Industries.

16:49It has a long list of safety concerns.

16:53We asked Loblaw

16:55for an introduction to the factory owners,

16:56so we could visit.

16:58Loblaw's reply?

16:59"We are unable to at this time."

17:02[dramatic music playing]

17:06This factory makes clothes

17:07for Joe Fresh, a Canadian company.

17:11[Mark] So we decided to show up and ask for a visit ourselves.

17:16[speaking other language]

17:20[Mark] Thank you.

17:26[Mark] The manager came out to meet us.

17:33That's what we wanted to talk to you about,

17:34and this is from the RSC,

17:36and these are the inspection reports,

17:38and you've had ongoing fire safety issues.

17:42[Mark] According to a 2014 safety report,

17:45inspectors found 20 serious fire violations,

17:48including the failure to test and maintain

17:50the fire alarm system,

17:52locked emergency exit doors

17:54and emergency exit stairs that empty

17:56inside the building,

17:58instead of safely outside.

18:00Then seven more serious fire-related issues identified

18:04during four different follow-Up inspections.

18:12Can you show us that these are--

18:20We tried to get an appointment with Loblaw

18:24and they said they won't help us.

18:26[Mark] The most recent inspection report from 2021,

18:29the 13th follow-up lists four outstanding issues--

18:33those emergency stairs still exiting

18:36inside the building instead of out.

18:38The factory's plan for fixing these issues

18:41all listed as "Pending Verification."

18:47Eventually, we are asked to leave the factory.

18:50[speaking other language]

18:53Outside, the situation got tense.

18:55[speaking other language]

18:58We were filming the building from the street...

19:00What's happening?

19:02...when security tried unsuccessfully

19:05to confiscate our drone.

19:09We then wanted to speak to workers

19:11to ask if they had any safety concerns

19:13making clothes here for Canadians.

19:16We're told that after we had a meeting

19:18with the manager on the inside,

19:20he had a very stern warning for the employees,

19:23that as they leave for lunch, as they are now,

19:26"Don't talk to the Canadian journalists."

19:28[vehicle honks]

19:30And it's critical to life safety

19:33in the factories.

19:34So, to not have them done

19:35that many years later is shocking.

19:39[Mark] We took our findings to Brad Loewen,

19:41the safety expert.

19:43I mean, you can build

19:45and rebuild buildings from scratch,

19:47obviously, in a lot less than eight years.

19:50Just no excuse, really,

19:52for not having those things done,

19:55um, that many years on.

19:57Every day, workers are going to work in these buildings

20:00that have potentially life-threatening

20:02situations, hazards.

20:04In those factories,

20:05today, as we speak today,

20:07they are going to work there.

20:08Isn't this a concern?

20:10Yes, it is,

20:12but has anything happened?

20:15No, nothing has happened.

20:16Are you waiting for something to happen?

20:17No, I am not.

20:19Nothing is perfect. We are not perfect.

20:21But we're getting better and better

20:23and better and better,

20:24and stronger, and stronger and stronger.

20:26My question is,

20:28why are the Canadian companies still doing business

20:30with that factory?

20:32Did you ask them that?

20:34[Mark] It's a fair question.

20:37We must do a much better job

20:39to ensure the safety of workers producing our products

20:42in Bangladesh and around the world.

20:45[Mark] Especially, given statements

20:47made by Joe Fresh founder Joe Mimran

20:49after the Rana collapse in 2013.

20:53We are establishing a new standard at Loblaw.

20:56Any Loblaw brand's product produced for sale by us

21:00must be made in a facility

21:02that respects all local construction

21:05and building codes.

21:06[Mark] In all 21 factories used by Loblaw since 2019,

21:10we counted the number of safety violations

21:13while they were doing business there.

21:15The total, 176.

21:20We asked Loblaw about the recent concerns

21:22uncovered at the factories.

21:25They sent us a statement,

21:27saying they had since stopped using two of them,

21:29adding, "The work to ensure safe factories

21:32is an active and dynamic process

21:34and one that we take extremely seriously."

21:37Loblaw adds it has seven employees on the ground

21:40to conduct their audits at each factory.

21:46Still, concerns about safety oversight remain.

21:50In 2023,

21:51the Centre for Policy Dialogue in Bangladesh said

21:54the quality of inspections is slipping under the RSC,

21:58noting a recent increase in workplace accidents,

22:02an increase in factory fires...

22:05as well as "indirect pressure

22:07(from employers and government agencies)"

22:09that is preventing RSC inspectors

22:12from "conducting an independent assessment."

22:15The successor of the Accord

22:17are not running in the same way

22:19the Accord used to run in here.

22:21So, it is totally different.

22:24So, the brands, I would say,

22:26you know, inside of them,

22:27they were happy when it has been kicked out.

22:30[Mark] None of this comes as a surprise

22:32to workers' rights activist Kalpona Akter.

22:36[Mark] Who is holding the factory owners accountable?

22:38Who's making them clean up their act?

22:40It should be the brands

22:41and it should be the RSC board of directors.

22:44We can ask them this-- this question that

22:47what the hell happening?

22:48[Mark] So you say it should be,

22:50but is that actually happening?

22:51I don't think so.

22:52That's why, you know, we lost our confidence

22:55on the RSC.

22:57[Mark] When we come back,

22:59the workers' struggle to survive...

23:00[gunfire]

23:02...turns into a fight for their lives.

23:04[police siren blares]

23:05[Mark] I went to visit a worker.

23:07At the end of the month,

23:08she can barely afford enough food to eat.

23:11She's sleeping on a floor.

23:12Is this a way to treat somebody

23:14in a profitable industry?

23:17[chanting]

23:20[Mark] These are the people

23:21who make your clothes in Bangladesh...

23:25taking to the streets in 2023

23:27because they say they're underpaid

23:29and perpetually poor.

23:31[chanting]

23:33[gunfire]

23:36There were many bloody clashes between police and protesters.

23:40[whistle blows]

23:42This is the dark side

23:43of those cheap and cheerful clothes we buy.

23:47[speaking other language]

23:54This is a garment workers' protest

23:56that has come here to the site of the Rana Plaza disaster.

24:00They are demanding an increase in their minimum wage.

24:03Currently the minimum wage in Bangladesh is the lowest

24:06in the region of garment making countries.

24:09They are looking for an almost 100% increase.

24:14[Mark] In 2023, the lowest monthly minimum wage

24:17for a garment worker in Bangladesh,

24:19was around $98.

24:20Compare that to, say, Vietnam, $178

24:24and in China and Cambodia, $274.

24:29Now, nothing stops a Canadian company

24:31from paying more than the minimum wage.

24:33But do they?

24:35This report from 2021 considered that very question.

24:39The Canadian Steelworkers Humanity Fund wanted to know

24:43how do Canadian clothing companies compare

24:45to the rest of the international brands

24:48manufacturing in Bangladesh.

24:50Our biggest finding

24:51was that workers working for Canadian brands

24:53are no better off

24:55than workers working for other brands.

24:58[Mark] Sushmita Preetha is the researcher

25:00and author behind the findings.

25:02She spoke to 35 different workers

25:04in factories used by five iconic Canadian brands.

25:08Including Loblaw-owned Joe Fresh.

25:12I think the brands really need to stop

25:14the double standard, you know?

25:16I think they talk about commitment to workers' rights

25:19only as a PR strategy, you know,

25:21because they don't want their woke consumers to--

25:24to have to-- to have to deal with the guilt

25:27of buying from sweatshops in Bangladesh.

25:29[Mark] A living wage in Bangladesh,

25:31according to the Asian Floor Wage Alliance,

25:34is around 650 Canadian dollars a month.

25:38Workers in the Canadian factories from the study

25:40earned between 73 and 100 dollars per month.

25:45[Mark] Who are you directing your anger towards most

25:48in this equation?

25:50Maybe it's time for Canada to actually stand up

25:52and say, "You know, we are the ones who will be fighting

25:54for a living wage for workers across supply chains."

25:58So, I think it's important for consumers to know

26:01the real price of the--

26:03of the products that they are buying.

26:05-[Mark] The human price. -The human price, yeah.

26:07[horns honking]

26:09[Mark] We wanted to see that human price for ourselves.

26:14So we travelled to one of the biggest garment districts

26:17in Bangladesh.

26:20[Mark] This is Savar,

26:21which is home to some 400 garment factories

26:23that employ half a million people.

26:26And we wanted to talk to some of them

26:28about wages and working conditions.

26:30But time and time again, they told us they were afraid.

26:33They felt by speaking out, they'd get fired.

26:36Until one brave woman came forward

26:39and said she'd talk.

26:43[Mark] We came to this compound...

26:47where thousands of garment workers live...

26:52down this small alley...

26:54where people are crammed into tiny rooms, side by side.

27:00This is where we met Lazina Akhter.

27:03Lazina, thank you so much

27:06for agreeing to talk to us.

27:08You came 300 kilometers from your own village

27:10to come here.

27:12Why did you want to work in a garment factory?

27:13Why not another job?

27:20[Mark] The 24-year-old has been working at this factory

27:23for the last year and a half,

27:25making clothes for Joe Fresh.

27:28She works 11 hours a day.

27:30Six days a week.

27:33And how much are you paid to make pants for Joe Fresh?

27:42[Mark] On its website, Loblaw promises

27:44workers in its supply chain will get "fair wages"

27:47and "the right to an adequate standard of living."

27:50Including "adequate food and nutrition,

27:52clothing and housing."

27:56-It is my home. -Thank you. Okay. Thank you.

27:59[Mark] But this is all Lazina can afford.

28:03A ten by ten cement room

28:06that she shares out of necessity with a roommate.

28:12Both sleeping on the floor.

28:14No mattress.

28:16No closets.

28:17So this is where you would keep your food?

28:20[Mark] No kitchen.

28:21Where do you cook, where do you--

28:22So, tell me, what's it like for you to live--

28:25Can you afford your cost?

28:27Can you afford your food,

28:28your-- your home here?

28:30How do you get by?

28:37[Mark] Lazina's story isn't unique.

28:40There are around four million garment workers

28:43in Bangladesh,

28:44about 65% of them women.

28:48Even the simple things in life...

28:51a luxury they can't afford.

28:55Do you have enough money to eat?

29:08-I am not happy. -[Mark] You're not happy.

29:13[Mark] In a statement, Loblaw says

29:15it supports the government's decision

29:17to significantly increase the minimum wage

29:20in the last ten years, adding,

29:21"We are extremely proud of what's been done to date,

29:24and we continue to be a part

29:26of the solution for the future."

29:31A couple of kilometres away from Lazina's cement room,

29:34the factory owners.

29:374500 members, represented by the BGMEA...

29:41the Garment Manufacturers Association...

29:45headquartered in this brand-new

29:47gleaming steel and glass building.

29:50Complete with an infinity pool.

29:54And a conference space that looks like

29:56the White House Situation Room.

30:00[Mark] And is this Savar, the area?

30:02[Faruque] This is Savar, the area.

30:03[Mark] And that's where a lot of garment factories...

30:05[Faruque] Garment factories this part, yeah.

30:07[Mark] So, this is your kingdom out here?

30:10[Faruque] Oh. [laughs]

30:12[Mark] Faruque Hassan is a garment factory owner,

30:15and the head of the BGMEA.

30:17[Mark] I went to visit a worker.

30:19At the end of the month, she can barely afford

30:22enough food to eat.

30:23She's sleeping on a floor.

30:25She doesn't even have a mattress.

30:27Is this a way to treat somebody in a profitable industry?

30:30Is that fair?

30:33We are working on that.

30:34And I believe that what you have seen...

30:38you will not see in future.

30:40Because we are trying to make the salary

30:43a higher salary.

30:44But you've been in business for years.

30:46This isn't like you just started this business.

30:48We should pay them so that they can perform,

30:51they can be happy with their wages

30:54so that they can work happily,

30:56because happy workers is a good worker.

30:58[chanting]

31:00[Mark] So ask yourself,

31:01do these look like happy workers?

31:05In November, after months of protests,

31:07the government increased the minimum wage

31:10to roughly $150 a month.

31:14Still more than $500 below

31:17what's considered a living wage in Bangladesh,

31:20raising the question,

31:21who's really making the decisions here?

31:25Can you tell me how many politicians

31:29are also factory owners?

31:31I would say that, uh,

31:34at least, uh, 15.

31:37Do you see that as a conflict of interest?

31:41-No, I don't think so. -Why not?

31:42Because the government is influential in setting wages.

31:45I don't think so is a conflict of interest

31:48because they are doing politics

31:51or they are serving the people,

31:53so that's a different area.

31:56[Mark] But it's not just run-of-the-mill politicians

31:59in the garment business.

32:00Last year that included the country's commerce minister,

32:03the state minister for foreign affairs,

32:05the finance minister,

32:06and the state minister for energy.

32:09All factory owners.

32:12Sushmita Preetha also runs the opinion section

32:15of the country's most prominent

32:17English language newspaper.

32:18After the recent wage decision,

32:20she wrote a scathing column.

32:22Writing, "the wage board has put forth the same proposal

32:25as that of the owners,

32:27which makes the answer to the question

32:29of 'whose interests is the board really protecting?'

32:32painfully obvious."

32:34It is certainly a problem

32:35that factory owners have such sway over policymakers.

32:38One, because many of them have factories themselves and--

32:41Or two, because they are, you know,

32:43really close to people in positions of power.

32:46The concern

32:49we've also heard is that,

32:52if fact-- if workers are protesting,

32:54factory owners call the police

32:56and the police come out

32:58and they beat up the protesters.

33:01Normally, it is not happening here.

33:03I-- I can-- I can assure you.

33:05Do you think it is safe

33:08in this current environment for-- for workers to protest

33:12if they are angry?

33:13Or are they putting their lives in danger

33:17if they protest against a factory?

33:19Yeah, it is safe

33:22[Mark] The workers' fight for better wages

33:24took a deadly turn here.

33:26This is the Prince Jacquard Sweater Ltd.

33:28They make name brands sold in Europe,

33:30the US and Canada.

33:32Workers here were protesting,

33:34demanding two months of back pay.

33:36A union organizer, Shahidul Islam, was brought in

33:39to try to negotiate a settlement.

33:41He had a meeting in here.

33:43He came out and was attacked by a mob,

33:45kicked and beaten mercilessly.

33:48Hours later in hospital, the union activist was dead.

33:53[Mark] In the months following his murder,

33:55four more workers were killed by police

33:58during protests.

34:00The law enforcement is an extension

34:01of factory owners.

34:03That should not be the case.

34:04The law enforcement should be there

34:05to protect the people of Bangladesh,

34:07not the factory owners of Bangladesh.

34:08We tried to contact workers

34:12for many weeks.

34:13Nobody wanted to talk to us. Why?

34:16Because they're afraid if they talk to us,

34:19they will be fired.

34:21-Uh, I don't think so. -No, no.

34:23It is. They are telling us this.

34:26This isn't my imagination.

34:27We don't have any blacklist system

34:30or we do-- we don't fire, like that way

34:33because they have all the rights

34:35and all the rights they have.

34:38[Mark] We learned after this interview,

34:39as many as 4,000 workers were fired for protesting,

34:43according to the labour organisation,

34:45the Clean Clothes Campaign.

34:47Sixty-two criminal cases were filed

34:49by factory owners and the police

34:51against 23,000 workers,

34:53sending many into hiding.

34:54115 protesters have been detained,

34:58according to the Workers Rights Consortium.

35:04But factory owners say don't blame them,

35:07blame the powerful international brands

35:09who, they say, are putting the squeeze

35:11on owners and workers alike

35:13to make clothes for the cheapest possible price.

35:16They are not doing it fair pricing

35:19or ethical sourcing.

35:21Why not?

35:23Because this believe that they can--

35:27they can get more cheaper prices from Bangladesh.

35:30And that's why they always tried

35:32to squeeze the prices on that.

35:35[Mark] When we come back...

35:48[Mark] My name is Mark Kelley, I'm with The Fifth Estate.

35:54-[whistles blowing] -[clamoring]

36:00[Mark] Rana Plaza collapsed a decade ago

36:02in Bangladesh,

36:04but the Canadian connection to the disaster still lives on.

36:08In 2013, as Bangladesh was mourning

36:10the loss of 1134 lives...

36:15Joe Fresh was busy selling.

36:16["Bom Bom" by Sam and the Womp playing]

36:19The pitch? Cheap and cheerful clothes

36:22with an emphasis on "cheap."

36:24So how much was A Joe Fresh T-Shirt

36:26that year?

36:28As low as eight bucks.

36:31And how does that compare to today?

36:33Well, even in the face of today's inflation,

36:35a T-shirt can still sell for just over eight bucks.

36:40Convert that to 2013 dollars and that's even less.

36:44So how is that possible?

36:48Right, I mean, this is a big question.

36:50The business model has to be changed.

36:52[Mark] The business model?

36:54It's called the race to the bottom.

36:56Brands demand the cheapest price

36:58or else they take their business elsewhere

37:01In the five years,

37:02following the collapse of Rana Plaza,

37:04the price brands are willing to pay

37:06has actually gone down...

37:08on average by 13%.

37:11While all other costs at the factory have gone up.

37:15Power, materials, equipment.

37:17Yet, workers still live in poverty.

37:20You know, I spent already 32 years of my life

37:24in this sector,

37:25and I cannot wait for another 40 years

37:27to get living wage.

37:28What we need living wage now, now.

37:30And the brand should be act now.

37:33[Mark] In 2022,

37:35Kalpona Akter came all the way to Toronto

37:37with her message, aimed directly at Joe Fresh.

37:55[Mark] She's not the only one trying to get the attention

37:57of Joe Fresh.

37:59We went to their headquarters to try to get an interview.

38:03[Mark] My name is Mark Kelley, I'm with The Fifth Estate.

38:05[woman] Nice to see you.

38:07[Mark] So we have been trying to get in touch with you

38:09for a couple of weeks.

38:12Well, we have plenty of questions

38:14for Loblaw's Joe Fresh.

38:16Like, what happened to all of those promises

38:18to do better for the workers making their clothes

38:20in Bangladesh.

38:22Ten years ago, we requested an interview

38:24with Loblaw's CEO, Galen Weston.

38:27He declined.

38:28Ten years and all those promises later,

38:31we asked again.

38:32And he declined. Again.

38:37[Mark] Instead, Loblaw sent us a statement.

38:40"The relief and rebuild effort over the last ten years

38:43has helped improve the lives of millions

38:45and the country's economy.

38:47As part of the effort, we have provided

38:49more than $5 million in compensation

38:51for the individuals and the families

38:53affected by the collapse of Rana Plaza.

38:56We remain committed to transparency

38:58and accountability in our global supply chain,

39:01and continue to collaborate with stakeholders,

39:03factory partners, and industry organizations

39:07to drive positive change

39:08and protect the rights and well-being of workers

39:11where our products are made."

39:18As for the Accord,

39:19it may have been kicked out of Bangladesh...

39:23but now, Canadian Brad Loewen

39:24has taken the proven safety inspection model

39:27to Pakistan.

39:29The International Accord is poised to expand

39:31to garment factories in Morocco,

39:33Sri Lanka and India.

39:36[Brad] The fact that they're being welcomed

39:37in other countries

39:39speaks to the importance that people are putting on--

39:43on factory safety.

39:45As far as Bangladesh

39:47sort of moving away from the Accord,

39:50kicking out, uh--

39:51And so, yeah, that, uh,

39:53took the course that it took.

39:55♪

40:03[Mark] For Lazina Akhter,

40:05who struggles to get by working six days a week

40:08making clothes for Joe Fresh...

40:11she has a dream for something better.

40:15On her one day off a week,

40:18she's studying textile engineering

40:20at a local university.

40:22Her goal?

40:23To be a force for change

40:25as a leader in the garment industry.

40:47[Mark] But a remade in Bangladesh garment industry

40:50won't help Shumi.

40:52Because of her injuries, she's says she's too slow

40:54to make fast fashion.

40:57And she's now pregnant with her second child.

41:01Although she received an initial compensation payment

41:04of $12,000...

41:06Shumi still needs to pay

41:07about $1,200 each year

41:11to replace her prosthetic limb.

41:15That's almost the annual salary for a worker

41:18for clothes made in Bangladesh.

41:34[Mark] Shumi had never seen

41:36the documentary we made featuring her ten years ago.

41:40So we showed it to her.

41:44It's the only time she smiled during our visit.

41:51[Mark] A smile that quickly vanished

41:53when I asked her about her future.

41:55When I met you ten years ago,

41:57you told me that when you were a child,

41:59you had dreams.

42:00You had dreams of a-- of a big life.

42:04What are your dreams today?

42:11[Mark] What would you like to say to Canadians?