Local Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs today called on the Mayor of London Boris Johnson to ensure that any contractors he employs through the Greater London Authority, as chair of Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police are signatories to the IndustriALL Accord. The London Assembly passed the motion unanimously at today’s Plenary following the tragedy of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh on 24th April, in which 1,100 garment workers died.
IndustriALL is the global union for garment workers, which has developed an Accord on Fire and Building Safety. This has been signed by many major British retailers.
Local Labour London Assembly Member John Biggs said:
“The tragedy at Rana Plaza has shown the world how important it is to be aware of the consequences of what we buy and where we buy it. This devastating event has thrown the spotlight onto British clothing and retail companies to ensure people making their clothes are able to do so in safety and dignity.
“Rana Plaza highlights a number of persistent problems with regulation and with working conditions. We are aware that the pressure of consumer and political opinion in our country can help to influence progress in these areas, and we resolve to support initiatives that usefully help with this process. That is why I call on the Mayor to urgently review any clothing contractors within the Greater London Authority family, including TfL and the Met to ensure they are signed up to the IndustriALL Accord.”
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