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MORE THAN 400 people are now confirmed to have been killed in last week’s factory compound collapse in Bangladesh while another 149 are listed as missing, the army said on Wednesday.
A military spokesman told AFP that the death toll from the country’s worst industrial disaster now stood at 402, while an army general said that local officials had drawn up a list of 149 people who are still unaccounted for.
Today, Bangladeshi protesters enraged by the deadly factory collapse led rallies against low wages and poor working conditions – kicking off worldwide protests to mark May Day.
In Europe, where calls to end punishing austerity measures in the eurozone have been mounting, Greece’s two main unions called a general strike that was expected to cause disruption to transport services later in the day.
Rallies were called in more than 80 cities in Spain, where unemployment last week surged past 27 per cent, to urge a radical change in EU economic policy, while unions in Italy were putting on a concert in the centre of Rome.
Anger in Bangladesh focused on the country’s worst ever industrial disaster, the collapse of a garment factory last week that killed nearly 400 workers, with furious protesters demanding the execution of the factory bosses.
Despite calls by the prime minister for “cool heads”, tensions over the disaster showed little sign of abating and there were fears of more violence and vandalism at textile mills.
Several thousand workers holding red banners and flags chanted “Hang the killers, Hang the Factory Owners!” as they took to the streets of Dhaka at the start of a series of nationwide demonstrations.
Kamrul Anam, one of the leaders of the Bangladesh Textile and Garments Workers League, said the workers were angry at the “murder” of their colleagues in the April 24 disaster on the outskirts of Dhaka.
“We want the severest punishment possible for those responsible for this tragedy,” he told AFP.
Police put the number of demonstrators in Dhaka at around 10,000 although that figure was expected to swell significantly later in the day.
Angry workers in Cambodia marched to parliament to deliver a petition demanding an increase in the minimum wage to $150 a month in garment factories, which are a major source of goods for Western clothing firms.
Around 55,000 workers gathered in Jakarta, police said, making it the biggest May Day rally in the Indonesian capital in recent years.
Protests over working conditions have been on the rise in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy as the cost of living increases and workers demand a greater share of the nation’s economic success.
Labour activists said the number of protesters reflected anger at poor salaries, lack of benefits and businesses denying some workers basic rights.
The protesters planned to march to the presidential palace, parliament, and the main international airport, where police in riot gear blocked the road.
In the Philippines, thousands of labourers staged mostly peaceful rallies across the capital Manila to demand higher wages and better working conditions.
Carrying colourful banners and shouting anti-government slogans under the scorching sun, the workers said that despite strong economic growth many people remained mired in poverty.
“Junk privatisation and contractualisation,” protesters cried, as they called for a $3 increase in the daily minimum wage of about $11.
In Hong Kong, one of Asia’s beacons of capitalism, trade unions said they were expecting 5,000 people to march in support of striking dock workers.
However, many in the Chinese territory seized the opportunity to take off on holiday, as did millions more in mainland China, where Labour Day is marked with a three-day break, and in Japan, where it forms part of the Golden Week period.
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The current strategy isn’t working. It may seem like compassion, but the rest of us have rights too.
Its not fair to the rest of society that in Dublin the board walk along the Liffey and the O’Connell Street area are dangerous during the day and virtually no go areas at night.
@Fiasco99: If you think that part of town is dangerous, bring your Mommy next time.
@Fiasco99: no go areas? Slight overreaction there surely?
@Val Miggin: honestly, have you been in these areas? Particularly late on a week night when there are few pub goers and especially if it’s a dry night as many of the users choose not to go to a hostel.
It’s not a good place to be. I would not like a family member to be there.
The Gardai choose not to carry out policing here, I assume because it’s pointless bringing the drug users to court for yet another suspended sentence.
Methadone is just a park and containment strategy effectively giving addicts a free heroin substitute. It does nothing to address addiction. It’s obviously been adopted as policy as it is relatively inexpensive and somewhat effective in achieving its limited goals but it offers no real hope to those afflicted most of whom will be on it for the remainder of their shortened lives.
Methadone makes too much money for the health professionals and big pharma , it is the golden cow. It is ten times more addictive than heroin, they do not want to rock the boat.
@Mr Jerry Curtin: Twit.
methadone….I always feel it’s a bit like a cigarette smoker switching to just pipe / or cigar smoking-
@Frank Dubogovik: More like switching from Major to Silk Cut.
Far better to have mandatory residential centres to assist drug addicts get off their addiction
@Stephen Kearon: are you serious !?
@Cathal: sounds like a winner to me.
@Stephen Kearon:
I see your advertising your British poppy again Stephen, any chance Micheal Martin or any one in FF is going to be seen dead wearing one?
I think we need to work on the homeless situation and the issues with the health service . If people really wanted to get of drugs they would .
And trust me I know .
@Greg: really? Is there a magic pill or potion. Utter BS
I was employed as a counsellor for many years in a large methadone clinic in Dublin. Its not true that service users are excluded from a treatment plan . I personally know Doctors ,Counsellors , Nurses, Pharmacists and General assistants who put in many hours encouraging users to take part in treatment programmes. Doctors are very willing to reduce and end Methadone treatment. If the Service users are willing to take an active part in reduction programme’s ,which are available to all Service users. Lynn’s article is not correct in many respects . In order for Doctors or Pharmacists to dispense Methadone they have to carry out specialist intensive training . And the majority of community based Doctors do not have any inclination to do this training , as they do not want to work with those who are abusing drugs. Over the years that I worked in the clinic I saw Gran parents , Parents Daughters and Son’s all from the same family attending for Methadone treatment. For many , addiction passes down through the generations. There are very few programmes or interventions for Young Children to stop them going down the same road as their Parents and Gran Parents. I have also known many S.U who having come off all drugs including Methadone . Relapse because they have to go back and live on the streets or into Hostels that are nothing more than drug den’s with a bed for the night . I think Lynn Ruane would be better employed trying to do something about homelessness and lack of service’s for the Children I mention here. Rather than taking a cheap shot at the Staff in the clinics who are doing their best to provide a good service, under what are often very difficult circumstances.
“service users” watch out for that one.its what they’re calling prisoners now too.
It seems to me methadone sacrifices the individual drug user and their family. It is given to reduce offending and theft etc in cheapest way regardless of if it consigns the drug user into another dependency stupor. Individuals and their children etc deserve the chance to be drug free. Ultimately this will benefit society with functioning individuals and families who can contribute to society. Invest the money into counselling and residential services aimed at getting people drug free not invest in maintenance programmes that lock people into addiction substituting one drug for another
The central issue you highlight is the conceit of doctors, the so called ‘experts’ and how the political establishment is in thrall to their ‘expertise’. Methadone can be a life saver and is for many but many doctors believe that the best that can be achieved is to turn drug users into professional patients but above all also is their belief that they know best when in truth many have minimal understanding of drug users and addiction.
@Liam Hunter: Utter nonsense. You clearly dont know how this operates with individual clients. Maybe ask a GP in a practice that prescribes it.
@Margate: you have no idea how much I know about this..way back before even the protocols… As for ‘utter nonsense’…some of us have profound understanding of this issue going back as far as the eighties…where does yours emanate from ?
Short termism and quick fixes is what our political system and can kicking… the methadone programme is a case and point.
It’s a good time to raise the question Lynn, you may need to take this further in your position as Senator so that the policy is reviewed and recommendations dealt with before another 20 years passes. Good work but more steps are required other than an article in the Journal.
The major issues are policing of clinics , addict goes in to try come off hard drugs and are met on the way out by dealers peddling drugs/tablets . The fact that the clinical staff will not entertain addicts looking to reduce their dose isn’t a surprise when you see the monetary incentive to keep addicts on their books.
It’s a cash cow for doctors administering methadone to addicts.
I look forward to your night in Donore Youth Centrethis coming month. As someone who was involved in Treatment service development in the 90′s in Dublin. It sickening me to my stomach that successive govs pay millions for mrthadone. There’s no stomach by this gov or agencies to setup up a programme that take users of Heroin of methadone to a completely drug free lifestyle….just keep the merry go round spinning for big pharma.
There needs to be investment in residential detox.
Addicts going into prisons should be put on detox.
have your say