Various employees’ rights and trade organisations have demanded punishment for those responsible for the death of at least 50 workers in a fire at a food and beverage factory in the Rupganj upazila of Narayanganj on Thursday.
They also demanded compensation for the families of deceased workers of an amount equalling to their lifetime income and sought immediate assistance, free medical treatment and appropriate compensation to the workers injured in the incident.
Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP), National Workers Unity Center, Bangladesh Trade Union Songho and Safety and Rights made the demand in separate press releases on Friday.
Expressing outrage over the incident, they said fires had been taking place at various industries for some time and the factory inspection department could not avoid the responsibility for those incidents in any way.
Citing the blaze as a result of mismanagement, the leaders of the rights groups said it was important to check whether the management of combustible substances in the factory was proper.
The leaders also demanded a proper investigation into the incident and exemplary punishment for those responsible.
It was initially found that the exit gate was locked and there were no fire extinguishers at the factory. There were also various flaws in the construction, including the existence of only two staircases to get out of such a big factory, they said.
The leaders also said such uncontrolled fires during the monsoons proved that the factory did not have a minimum firefighting arrangement.
There was no implementation of the law in the production management of factories and combustible and chemical substances, they claimed.
The death of more than 50 workers due to fire is the ultimate sign of mismanagement, the groups said, adding that the responsibility of mismanagement cannot be avoided by the factory authorities, as well as the government departments concerned.
