Bernieboy

Has just passed 800,truely staggering n heartbreaking,please spare a thought,there but for the grace of life go you n i.

Pollyana

It is horrifying, every report I read the toll gets higher. Heartbreakingly sad, and I can't help thinking that every one of those people left so many others who loved them and will grieve for them.

isgraham

The real cost of cheap clothing. I wonder how many people would be happy paying the increased price for more ethically sound manufacturing?

renth

There's nothing stopping people buying "ethically sound" clothing if they wish to do so.

Whilst this whole thing is a terrible tragedy it's not cheap clothes that caused it it was diabolical/non existent building regulations.

Amazulu

I agree - nobody is forced to buy cheap clothes. Where's the blame on the Bangledeshi government/authorities in all this?

I see that one of BE's darling 'superior' UK retailers, Primark sourced garments from a factory in this building. What cost those GBPeso1 t-shirts?

GarryP

A few things to understand:

• The population of Bangladesh is 160m in an area smaller than that of Victoria. It's basically all around sea level, and gets hit by monsoon and typoon.
• Everyone except the 1% are extremely poor, all agencies are corrupt, and realistically, people are disposable. Actually it's more than that, people are a problem.
• When China was in the early stage of growth it took many of the clothes manufacturing contracts from Bangladesh, depressing the industry and the economy and closing factories. Now they have moved on to making high value goods, those contracts are moving back, and factories are being expanded to cope.
• Couple the corruption, the growth and the disposable populous, and people will get crammed into the cheapest building, themselves built by the cheapest workers - and everyone will skim from the top, bottom and sides.
• 'Standards', whether Bangladesh government, western brand labels, or factory owner - are unlikely to make much difference, even if they were raised - someone would skim money off by doing a cheap job and swearing blind they had done everything to standard.
• If you took the contracts away, you'd just have more workers starving and out of work.

Zen10

Some excellent points here. Also, it's worth remembering that the terrible conditions described in Bangladesh were experienced by British workers during the industrial revolution, as Britain transformed from agrarian to industrial power. It's something all first world countries went through on their way up.

isgraham

The lack of regulations and employment laws is what makes them cheaper than we can make. The cost of clothing produced here means that in fact many people don't have the luxury of choosing the ethical option. In my case I buy cheap because actually I don't give a shit who has to die or what kind of conditions they have to work in. They have the jobs and I support unemployed people through my taxes. That's the choice we all seem to have made.

Pollyana

None of which makes it any less sad for the families involved.

iamthecreaturefromuranus

My niece is a Dr, working for WHO. She's worked in some of the worlds poorest countries and for the most part thought the best of them.

Her view of Bangladesh was that it was an irredeemable shithole that should be allowed to sink into the Bay of Bengal. It seems to have nothing going for it whatsoever.

renth

Interesting, I have a friend who worked there for a few years and really enjoyed it, said the people were great. Problem is it is all so low lying that if/when the sea level rises, even by a small amount, the whole place will be underwater.

BadgeIsBack

I agree this is far worse than the fact internet shopping is crap in Australia.
We count our blessings... RIP.

GarryP

Is now standing at 1035, with probably more to find.

As my friend there says, there is an election due in Dec, and with the unrest and financial disquiet - its likely that the government will be forced to do something on the issue - although practically useful approaches are thin on the ground.

Bernieboy

Something has to be done,but i doubt it will,unbelievable loss of life.

commonwealth

Theres a report of recent fire in another factory.