Production in three more apparel factories with ‘structural faults’ were suspended in Dhaka on Friday in keeping with recommendations of European retailers’ inspection teams, taking the total number of workers under threat of losing jobs to more than 13,000 in the past one month. With the suspension of production in the factories — Four Wings Limited, Attuune Garments and Natural Apparel — at Mirpur on Friday, the number of total factories closed temporarily reached 10 in Dhaka and Chittagong. Two more factories were also closed partially for structural faults.
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the number of workers who were affected by production suspension reached 13,900 while the owners said that the number was 13,300.
These factories are supposed to start production once the owners carry out necessary renovations works, mostly to strengthen the columns of the buildings, while they are also supposed to pay the workers wages during the closure.
But, the garment factory owners are in quandary over what to do with the renovation works as most of the factories are housed in rented buildings, said BGMEA leaders.
The three factories which were closed on Friday are on a seven-storey rented building that has faults in the columns, they said.
‘The problem is that the owners of the factories cannot renovate the building as they are not the owners of the building. Even if the factory owners give necessary funds to the building owner, there is no guarantee that the building owner will repay the money or continue to rent the building to the factories,’ said a BGMEA leader.
He, however, said there was no other option but to suspend production of the units because of the faults which might cause accident any moment.
An inspection team of European retailers group, Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, found structural flaws in the building that housed the three factories in the first week of April.
Among the factories, Four Wings Limited was on the list of factories that the Accord would inspect. But two other factories also faced production suspension because of the risky building.
A review committee comprising representatives from the government, the European and North American retailers’ groups, BUET, BGMEA and BKMEA took the decision to suspend production at the three units after spot visit and a number of assessments.
Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments inspector general Syed Ahmed said that the members of review committee had decided unanimously to suspend the production at the three factories housed in a commercial building as the concrete strength of columns of the building was not substantial.
The factories could run their production after the columns of the building are strengthened, he said.
The review committee recommended the factory owners to conduct detail engineering analysis within 15 days, said Ahmed also the chairman of the review committee.
‘The production at three factories have been suspended as the review committee found risk in the structure of the factory building and suggested conducting detail engineering analysis,’ Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice-president Shahidullah Azim told New Age.
He said that the number of workers of three units is about 2,700.
Seven more factories were earlier closed temporarily and two more partially as per the recommendations of Accord. Around 10,600 workers are employed in the factories.
After the Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24 last year that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, the retailers and apparel brands of EU including H&M, Marks and Spencer, Mango, Inditex and Primark formed Accord for ensuring garment factory safety.
Accord has so far inspected structural integrity of 180 garment factories and fire and electrical safety of 224 units.
The North American Alliance also started inspection of around 500 garment factories in February this year and has so far inspected about 50 per cent of their listed factories.
-With New Age input
