Democracy Now: Report: Wal-Mart Pushed Back Against Safety Improvement at Bangladeshi Factories
New details have been revealed on the retail giant Wal-Mart’s ties to the Bangladeshi garment factory where 120 workers died in a fire last month. The New York Times is reporting Wal-Mart played a key role in blocking the improvement of electrical and fire safety at Bangladeshi factories. Two officials who attended a 2011 meeting in Bangladesh say a Wal-Mart representative helped quash a proposal to improve safety investments, calling them “not financially feasible.” Documents found at the fire scene also show that five of the factory’s 14 production lines were devoted to making Wal-Mart apparel.
