Bangladesh

A Bangladeshi court has postponed the trial of 18 people charged in connection with the 2013 Rana Plaza collapse. The trial was slated to begin on August 23 but the deferral was granted after the defendants appealed for a delay on the grounds that they had filed a petition challenging the charges. The trial is now scheduled to commence on October 26. (AlJazeera)
 
At least 50 people, including several police officers, were injured during a clash between police and garment workers in the New Market area of Chittagong on August 24. Witnesses say the incident was sparked after a supervisor at a factory scolded some female workers for alleged negligence in their jobs. A demonstration later ensued and turned violent when police tried to remove the workers from the area. (Protham Alo)
 
The government of Bangladesh says that it is preparing guidelines for disbursing money in the workers’ welfare fund. Government leaders say that workers will get a payment of Tk. 500,000 (US$6,326) in case of a disaster, as opposed to the current approximate payment of Tk. 100,000 (US$1,272) given by most facilities. The fund was established last year, fueled by a .03% tax on export revenues, as a way to compensate workers injured in industrial disasters like the Rana Plaza collapse. (The Daily Star)
 
A group of 13 garment factories have been approved to receive low-cost loans from Bangladesh Bank to construct better living quarters for their workers. The owners of one facility say that housing workers on premise is more economical than making them commute each day from their own residences and that factory housing tends to be of higher quality.(RMG BD)