Big western retailers sign binding Bangladesh labour safety accords

committing them to deal only with safer factories with better working conditions.

"Worker safety and worker welfare have now been brought into the forefront," said Gowher Rizvi, an adviser to Bangladesh's prime minister, adding that talks had intensified after April 24 of the collapse of the Rana Plaza factory complex outside Dakha that killed 1,100 people.

Mr Rizvi said labour law changes - which still require approval by Parliament - are part of a broader government effort to come into compliance with international labour standards and improve on-the-job conditions, reported the New York Times.

The government has pledged to raise garment workers wages, said to be the lowest in the world at US$37 monthly at entry level, and change labour laws to make it easier to form unions.

Major western retailers have agreed to a plan to help pay for fire safety and building improvements.

PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod, announced it would sign the deal, an expanded version of a proposal that PVH had already signed.

The Swedish retail giant H&M and Inditex, owner of the popular Zara chain, endorsed the safety plan. Within hours, Dutch retailer C&A also joined the agreement, as did Britain's Primark and Tesco.

"We hope for a broad coalition of signatures in order for the agreement to work effectively on the ground," said H&M sustainability chief Helena Helmersson, who represents Bangladesh's biggest garment customer.

"H&M's decision to sign the accord is crucial," said Washington-based Worker Right Consortium executive director Scott Nova, whose effort are backed by 175 American colleges and universities. "They are the single largest producer of apparel in Bangladesh, ahead even of Walmart. This accord now has tremendous momentum."

Labour groups and others were already trying to pressure other big brands, including Walmart and Gap, to sign onto the agreement. But Gap has resisted, objecting to its legally binding nature, arguing that it has already hired a fire inspector and promised $22 million in loans for factory improvements.

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