London:
The police in Bangladesh have arrested the owners of the building that collapsed on the outskirts of capital Dhaka on Wednesday, killing over 350 people. The two owners - Manbubur Rahman Tapas and Baizul Samad Adnan - have been accused of ignoring warnings about the safety of the building.
Some reports indicate that they are suspected of forcing staff to work in the building despite warnings.
Many people are still being rescued from the rubble of the building, Rana Plaza.
Revelations that big western retailers sourced clothes from this factory have now prompted many people to ask questions about the need for big retailers to enforce safety standards in countries like Bangladesh and India.
Organisers of a small protest outside one of biggest clothes retailers in the UK say big brands can and should do more.
Muray Worthy from War on Want told NDTV, "The brands and buyers have a lot of power and influence. They need to drive this change instead they are driving things in the opposite direction. They are pushing for lower prices, squeezing prices and squeezing quality."
They've singled out Primark - arguably the most popular budget clothes retailer in the UK for this protest.
One of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the eight-storey building that collapsed.
Primark says, "The company is shocked and saddened by this appalling incident. Primark has been engaged for several years to review Bangladeshi industry's approach to factory standards. Primark will push for this review to include building integrity."
The way the global supply chain works is also complicated. None of the big brands actually directly employ workers in the developing world. They deal with contractors and sub-contractors who pay exploitative wages to workers, absolving, in effect, international retailers of their responsibilities to ensure better safety standards.
And then there is the problem of raising awareness about this issue. Campaigners want shoppers to be more aware of where their clothes come from and in turn pressurise high street retailers to push for better safety standards.
But asking shoppers to be more aware about these issues is an uphill task.
"When you go shopping you don't think about it. You don't think about these things - whether (the clothes) are being made by kids. It is good if there is more awareness," said a high street shopper in London.
Another shopper said, "Primark won't be Primark. Primark would be another high end store without these prices."
And by no means is Primark the only one retailer that sources clothes from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
Some reports indicate that they are suspected of forcing staff to work in the building despite warnings.
Many people are still being rescued from the rubble of the building, Rana Plaza.
Revelations that big western retailers sourced clothes from this factory have now prompted many people to ask questions about the need for big retailers to enforce safety standards in countries like Bangladesh and India.
Organisers of a small protest outside one of biggest clothes retailers in the UK say big brands can and should do more.
Muray Worthy from War on Want told NDTV, "The brands and buyers have a lot of power and influence. They need to drive this change instead they are driving things in the opposite direction. They are pushing for lower prices, squeezing prices and squeezing quality."
They've singled out Primark - arguably the most popular budget clothes retailer in the UK for this protest.
One of its suppliers occupied the second floor of the eight-storey building that collapsed.
Primark says, "The company is shocked and saddened by this appalling incident. Primark has been engaged for several years to review Bangladeshi industry's approach to factory standards. Primark will push for this review to include building integrity."
The way the global supply chain works is also complicated. None of the big brands actually directly employ workers in the developing world. They deal with contractors and sub-contractors who pay exploitative wages to workers, absolving, in effect, international retailers of their responsibilities to ensure better safety standards.
And then there is the problem of raising awareness about this issue. Campaigners want shoppers to be more aware of where their clothes come from and in turn pressurise high street retailers to push for better safety standards.
But asking shoppers to be more aware about these issues is an uphill task.
"When you go shopping you don't think about it. You don't think about these things - whether (the clothes) are being made by kids. It is good if there is more awareness," said a high street shopper in London.
Another shopper said, "Primark won't be Primark. Primark would be another high end store without these prices."
And by no means is Primark the only one retailer that sources clothes from countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Vietnam.
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