Supply Chain
Bangladesh building collapse kills at least 76 garment workers
At least 76 garment workers have been confirmed dead, and hundreds remain trapped and injured in Bangladesh after an eight-storey building containing clothing manufacturing units collapsed. Dilara Begum, a garment worker who survived the accident, said workers were ordered to leave after a crack appeared in the wall of the building on Tuesday. But on Wednesday morning supervisors had asked them to return to work, saying the building had been inspected and was safe. The incident is the latest in a series of industrial accidents in Bangladesh. In November, a fire at the Tazreen Fashions Limited factory killed 111 workers. An inquiry committee blamed the factory management for criminal negligence. (Guardian)
Policy & Research
Women are side-lined as men grab lion’s share of new jobs
A new report has shown that almost three times as many women as men in the UK have become ‘long term’ unemployed in the last two and a half years – 103 000 women in comparison to 37 000 men – with current trends predicting that 1.48m women will be jobless in 2018 as a worst case scenario. The study by the Fawcett Society, which campaigns for women’s equality and rights, says that 60 percent of new private sector jobs have gone to women and that women are being hit hardest by public sector job cuts. Unemployment among women has risen since the UK recession ended, even though it has fallen among men. (Times*, Independent, Fawcett Society)
Corporate Reputation
London no longer “libel capital of the world”
Laws that led to London being dubbed “the libel capital of the world” will be reformed after UK peers voted to pass the defamation bill, ending a three-year campaign. Corporations will now have to prove “substantial financial loss” before they sue for libel, providing more protection for individuals and organisations, including those in the media, which criticise big companies. However, campaigners expressed disappointment that companies contracted by the Government to provide public services, such as care homes, school dinners or prison management, will still be able to sue ordinary citizens who criticise the work they do for the taxpayer. (Guardian)
Ralph Lauren pays $1.6m to settle bribe allegations
Ralph Lauren has agreed to pay $1.6m to resolve allegations that it bribed government officials in Argentina to get customs clearance for its merchandise. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said that the clothing maker reported the violations itself after they were discovered. The New York company agreed to pay $735,000 to the SEC and $882,000 to the Department of Justice as part of a parallel investigation. According to the Justice Department, the manager of Ralph Lauren's subsidiary bribed officials to obtain paperwork over the span of five years. Inspection was avoided entirely in some cases. (Huffington Post, Financial Times*)
Environment
US should do more on climate change to aid economy
The US should do more to fight climate change and help industry catch up on missed economic opportunities in clean energies, the head of the UN Climate Change Secretariat has said. Christiana Figueres, speaking during a visit to the US, welcomed President Barack Obama's plans to promote wind and solar power or to set tougher emissions standards for power plants in the coming years. Figueres, stressed that no single nation was doing enough to offset global warming, and said she hoped that the White House would appoint a senior person to orchestrate the administration's new efforts. (Reuters)
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