The Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety, comprised of 26 North American retailers and brands, has said that the Bangladesh government must decide whether or not it would be responsible for the country’s RMG sub-contractors. The North American buyers’ forum further said that the government should also decide how the RMG sub-contractors would be regulated and how the enforcement actions will be taken against them.
The recommendations of the Alliance came in line with a review meeting held last week in Brussels on the progress made under the Sustainability Compact conditions.
‘A decision must be taken on whether the government of Bangladesh will be responsible for RMG sub-contractors, or the responsibility will reside with some other entity or private sector actor,’ said an Alliance press release issued on Monday.
It also said that the government must address areas where different agencies currently have overlapping authorities.
‘In particular, it would be helpful for the government of Bangladesh to ensure that the Directorate of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), Ministry of Labour (MOL), the Capital Development Authority (Rajuk) and the Directorate of Fire Service and Civil Defense (DFSCD) are coordinating their work, and identify what agencies are responsible for occupancy approvals and how that process works,’ it said.
The Alliance also said that the government should determine who will be overseeing the remediation of the factories which are not managed by the Alliance and the European retailers group, Accord.
‘A decision must be taken about how remediation of the factories not managed by the Alliance and the Accord will be managed and what entity will oversee remediation,’ it said.
The Alliance’s independent chairman Ellen Tauscher in a separate press release said that Alliance will not tolerate any behaviour that puts the workers at any risk.
‘Workers must be able to freely exercise their legal rights to associate, bargain, form unions, and refuse to work in unsafe conditions without fear of reprisal or violence. There is simply no excuse for putting workers at risk—and the Alliance will not tolerate such behaviour,’ she said.
The Alliance recommended that all stakeholders should work together to assist the government in coming up with a medium and long-term strategy to ensure reforms and improvements in the RMG sector must continue to be pursued in the coming years.
-With New Age input
