Members of University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Student Labor Action Coalition delivered a cardboard replica of a clock tower to Chancellor Rebecca Blank Tuesday, urging her to sign an agreement on behalf of UW-Madison that would protect Bangladeshi garment workers’ rights.
SLAC imposed a deadline of March 24 to remind Blank of the time-sensitive nature of the matter, emphasizing the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh will expire after five years, SLAC member Lingran Kong said.
“Every month that goes by that we’re not signing on to it, that’s a problem,” Kong said, citing a fire that broke out after-hours in a Bangladeshi factory Thursday.
Blank will review a report presented by the Labor Codes and Licensing Compliance Committee Monday and make her decision on the accord in the coming days, the chancellor’s representative for LCLCC Everett Mitchell said. The report addresses matters of worker participation, cost analysis, inspection and legality as they relate to the accord.
