MPs and campaigners renew call for Workers’ Rights for Rana Plaza tragedy

Ansar Ahmed Ullah
Contributing Editor,Shottobani

London: Thirteen years after the Rana Plaza disaster shocked the world, the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Bangladesh convened a meeting at the House of Commons to discuss the future of workers’ rights, labour protections and accountability in Bangladesh. The meeting, held on 18 May 2026 and chaired by Apsana Begum, brought together parliamentarians, academics, activists and members of the Bangladeshi diaspora to reflect on lessons from the 2013 factory collapse and examine ongoing concerns surrounding workplace safety and labour conditions.

Discussions focused on recent developments in Bangladeshi labour regulations, as well as the role of the international community and diaspora organisations in supporting workers facing exploitation, unsafe working conditions and violations of labour rights.

Speakers at the event included Mayisha Begum from the Rana Plaza Solidarity Collective, Daniel Blackburn, Director of the International Centre for Trade Union Rights, human rights lawyer and researcher Taqbir Huda, and Md. Warishul Islam, First Secretary at the Bangladesh High Commission to the United Kingdom.

Participants highlighted the continuing need for stronger trade union protections, fair compensation mechanisms, improved health and safety standards, and greater corporate accountability within global supply chains linked to Bangladesh’s garment sector.

Addressing attendees, Apsana Begum MP said the victims and survivors of Rana Plaza must never be forgotten and stressed the importance of continuing the fight for justice and reform.

She said, “Thirteen years on, we must never forget the victims and survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse. In their honour we must continue to campaign for true justice and accountability, including compensation, and work to ensure that such an incident is never repeated. We must amplify the calls from the grassroots in Bangladesh for public service investment, trades union rights, improved working conditions, equality for women, and religious freedom and a Bangladesh run in the interests of the people of Bangladesh.”