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K M Asad
http://www.kmasad.com
"This building will stand a hundred years," boasted the owner just a day before the collapse. The next morning it came down. The number of dead and injured rose immediately. Rescue workers feverishly tried to save as many people as possible.
Cheap labor in Bangladesh is seen as a blessing for the garment industry. However, that blessing turned into a curse when all those innocent workers sacrificed their lives under poor labor laws, inhumane conditions, unhealthy security system, and owner negligence.
Thousands of mourners gathered at the ruins of a garment factory building to offer prayers for the souls of the 1,127 people who died in the structure's collapse. It was the worst tragedy in the history of the global garment industry. It came only months after a fire at another garment factory in killed 112 workers. These tragedies are the symbols of a national failure to protect workers.
It is now time for the government to take revolutionary steps in order to protect these neglected garment workers. The last breath of those souls surrounds us. It is time for action or will we have completed our duty by merely expressing our deep sympathy.
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