Bangladeshi unions to bosses: pay for textile fire deaths

The National Garments Workers Federation accused bosses of "gross negligence" after firefighters revealed that the workers died while working an illegal night shift last Thursday at the Garib and Garib Sweater Company sweatshop in Gazipur, north of the capital Dhaka.

Fire officials also reported that fire-fighting equipment at the factory was "virtually useless" and said that six workers were killed in a fire at the same factory last year.

After interviewing survivors of the two-hour fire, union investigators said they had learned that fire exits in the factory had been locked, and called on Labour Minister Khandaker Hossain to take "tough action" against the firm's management.

"This was not an accident, these workers were killed by the factory's blatant disregard for worker safety," NGWF leader Amirul Islam Amin declared, pointing out that labour laws prohibit night working between 8pm and 6am.

Referring to the country's paltry 900 taka (£8.50) monthly minimum wage, Mr Amin emphasised that, although the workers "received just 900 taka a month, their families relied on this to survive, and they must get compensation."

The Garib and Garib factory supplies the European label H&M and US giants JCPenney and Wal-Mart.

It is one of 4,000 textile companies in Bangladesh whose workers create more than £10 billion in wealth for their bosses.