EU considers action, Pope weighs in, after Bangladesh disaster By Ruma Paul DHAKA (Reuters) - The European Union is considering trade action against Bangladesh, which has preferential access to EU markets for its garments, to pressure Dhaka to improve safety standards after a building collapse killed more than 400 factory workers. Pope Francis condemned the conditions of workers who died in the disaster as "slave labor," while in Dhaka several thousand workers rallied to mark Labour Day, some calling for capital punishment for those responsible for the tragedy. "The owner of the building ... should be hanged to death and compensation should be given to the injured and those who died," said labor leader Moshrefa Mishu. "The European Union calls upon the Bangladeshi authorities to act immediately to ensure that factories across the country comply with international labor standards ...," the 27-nation bloc said in a statement issued by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht. In the United States, prominent Democrats Sander Levin and George Miller wrote a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to facilitate the development of a concrete plan of action to address the range of issues relating to working conditions and worker rights in the garment sector in Bangladesh. The death toll from the collapse last week of the illegally built Rana Plaza in Dhaka's commercial suburb of Savar rose to 411 on Wednesday, and about 40 unidentified victims were buried. One woman at the cemetery collapsed into tears when she recognized the body of her sister by her dress. With local anger growing over the country's worst industrial accident, a delegation from the International Labour Organisation met Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka to offer support and press for action to prevent any more such incidents. The EU had already urged Bangladesh to adhere to ILO standards in January after two earlier factory fires, including one last November in which 112 people died. A European Union official said the latest EU statement, issued late on Tuesday, was "a shot across the bows." About 3.6 million people work in Bangladesh's garment industry, making it the world's second-largest apparel exporter behind China. The Bangladeshi prime minister warned factory owners they would have to take care of their workers. Pope Francis added to pressure for change in his toughest remarks on workers' rights since his election on March 13, an indication he plans to make social justice a plank of his pontificate. Living on 38 euros ($50) a month - that was the pay of these people who died. That is called slave labor," Francis said in a private impromptu sermon at his personal morning Mass in his residence, Vatican Radio reported. About 2,500 people have been rescued, many injured, but many remain unaccounted for. Police said DNA samples of the bodies buried on Wednesday had been preserved, so tests could be done if relatives came forward later. The factory collapse was the third deadly incident in six months to raise questions about worker safety and labor conditions in the poor South Asian country, which relies on garments for 80 percent of its exports. "The EU is presently considering appropriate action, including through the Generalised System of Preferences - through which Bangladesh currently receives duty-free and quota-free access to the EU market," Ashton and de Gucht said. The sheer scale of this disaster and the alleged criminality around the building's construction is finally becoming clear to the world. The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI), an umbrella organization that brings NGOs, unions and brands together to try to improve working conditions, said retailers, major brands and the suppliers who own the factories would have to contribute towards factory inspections. "Bangladeshi companies who supply to our retailers need to be pricing in operating a decent factory, a safe factory and paying proper wages," ETI director Peter McAllister told Reuters. "And then the retail world needs to recognize that the real cost of having sustainable businesses are going to be higher," he said, adding that he thought retailers would accept slightly higher prices if all outlets agreed to the changes. Following a private emergency meeting of Canadian retailers, the Retail Council of Canada said on Tuesday it would develop a new set of guidelines. Loblaw Executive Chairman Galen Weston said the company would take further action "to address the situation" following the collapse of the building, where some of its "Joe Fresh" garments were made, although he did not offer specifics. Representatives of some 45 companies, including Gap Inc, H&M, J.C. Penney, Nike Inc, Wal-Mart, Britain's Primark, Marks & Spencer and Tesco, and Li & Fung, met officials from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association in Dhaka this week to discuss worker and plant safety. Reporting by Susan Taylor, Neha Alawadhi, Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul; Writing by Paul Tait and Michael Perry; Editing by Philippa Fletcher, Andrew Hay and Neil Fullick