RMG factory safety
American buyers’ team arrives on Sept 15
A team of North American buyers who formed Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative is likely to visit Bangladesh on September 15-16 to prepare the detailed framework of safety programme in the RMG factories under a five-year plan.
A delegation of the Alliance led by its board chairman Ellen O’Kane Tauscher will come to Bangladesh and meet with leaders of readymade garment sector and government high officials to set a parameter for safety inspection in the garment sector, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association vice-president Shahidullah Azim told New Age on Sunday.
The labour secretary Mikail Shipar, however, said that he heard that a delegation of North American buyers would visit Bangladesh in mid-September, but he was yet not informed about the visit officially.
‘I do not know whether the Alliance representatives will meet with the labour ministry officials, but I have heard that they are coming next week,’ he said.
The BGMEA vice-president said that the delegation of the Alliance would discuss details with the BGMEA and BKMEA to work out the implementation of their action plan.
‘This is the preliminary meeting on the way of the implementation of the action of plan and I hope the initiatives of the Alliance will be very much effective as they have already included the BGMEA in their board,’ Azim said.
The consortium of North American buyers recently said that Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative would provide rapid implementation, worker empowerment and a long-term commitment to sustainable change.
The Initiative represents a significant financial commitment, including an initial worker safety fund, currently $42 million, and the additional availability of over $100 million in access to low-cost capital funding to improve fire and structural safety in Bangladeshi factories, the alliance announced.
After Rana Plaza disaster killing 1,131 workers, 17 North American retailers, including Walmart and Gap, on July 10 formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative undertaking a five-year plan, which sets aggressive timelines and accountability for inspections, training and worker empowerment.
In the overview of action plan, the Alliance said that this effort focused on identifying the most achievable means for North American retailers and brands to work with government and stakeholders to help ensure the safety of Bangladeshi workers.
The result is a legally binding commitment among founding Alliance members who collectively represent the overwhelming majority of U.S. imports of RMG from Bangladesh, produced at more than 500 factories.
After three weeks of Rana Plaza disaster, a group of European retailers first signed an agreement to help Bangladesh garment industry improve workers safety standard named the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
The number of signatories increased to 70 from 30 in mid-May and now the numbers of signatories have reached to 84, which included, among others, H&M, Carrefour, Marks & Spencer and PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein and Tommy Hilfiger.
The five-member delegation of EU Accord had visited Bangladesh from July 29 to August 1 and discussed with the stakeholders to chalk out the implementation process of their action of plan.
-With New Age input
