Bangladeshi Labor Activist Finds Burned Wal-Mart Clothes At Deadly Factory Fire 1 of 2

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The Bangladeshi government has declared a period of national mourning for more than 120 garment workers who died in a fire at a factory that supplied U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, among others. Joining us from Bangladesh is labor activist Kalpona Akter, who has visited the factory and took pictures of the charred clothing labels she found there -- including the Wal-Mart brand, Faded Glory. She started work in garment factories when she was 12 years old. Now she campaigns for better wages, recognition of the right to organize, and higher safety standards. We are also joined by Scott Nova, executive director of the Worker Rights Consortium, which investigates working conditions in factories around the world. In comparison to the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire in New York City, Nova says, "It really is an extraordinary achievement, in an ironic sense, that the U.S. apparel industry has managed to replicate early 20th century conditions that were so brutal and cruel to workers now again here in 2012 in factories in places like Bangladesh. It is a shameful record for the U.S. apparel industry ... And hopefully this horror will finally galvanize a global push for genuine reform of the labor practices of the big brands and retailers. Akter speaks directly to shoppers, saying, "Consumers can play a big role because they are the most powerful player in the supply chain."

Watch Part 2 of this interview

The fire broke out Saturday evening at garment factory in the suburbs of the capital, Dhaka, as its mostly women employees worked overtime to meet holiday rush orders for overseas customers. Survivors said an exit door was locked, fire extinguishers did not work, and that when the fire alarm went off, their bosses ordered them to stay at their sewing machines. Victims were trapped or jumped to their deaths from the eight-story building, which had no emergency exits or fire escapes. Thousands of garment workers have taken to the streets over the past two days to protest their unsafe conditions and demand justice.The protests follow a work stoppage earlier this year, when 300 factories in Bangladesh shut down for almost a week over demands for higher wages and better conditions. Fire officials in the country say more than 500 workers there have died in clothing factory accidents since 2006. Bangladesh is the main supplier of garments for Wal-Mart. At first, the company said it could not confirm whether it was still doing business with the Tazreen factory that caught fire. But it later confirmed a subcontractor had in fact placed orders there.

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