Gsp Action Plan
Govt launches web site with RMG sector database today
A web site of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments will be launched today containing a database on garment sector in line with the action plan for restoration of US generalised system of preference. The government has incorporated initial information of about 3,500 garment factories in the database, people involved with the process told New Age on Saturday.
Names and locations of the factories, number of workers and information related to trade unions have been included in the database, said labour secretary Mikail Shipar.
More details of the factories and the information of the rest of the garment units in the country will be included gradually, he said.
The labour ministry, in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation, has prepared the database.
The data base on RMG sector will be a part of the website of the DIFE (www.dife.gov.bd).
‘A portion of the database, which will contain general information on garment factory, workers and trade union activities, will be publicly accessible but the accessibility on some critical information will be restricted,’ Sayed Ahmed, the inspector general of the DIFE told New Age.
He said, ‘We do not want to make public through the database the safety assessment report of any factory immediately after completion any inspection.’
The database will contain the factory inspection report but access to the report will be restricted, Ahmed said adding that only the relevant authorities should have the access to the report as there is a risk of damage to business.
As per the requirements of the GSP action plan set by the US as well as the requirement of Sustainable Compact of EU, the government has created the database for reporting labour, fire and building inspections as well as information on the factories and their locations.
The US government on June 27, 2013 suspended the GSP for Bangladesh due to an insufficient improvement in worker rights conditions.
The US on July 19 last year gave 16-point Bangladesh action Plan for reinstating GSP facilities for Bangladesh.
In the action plan, the US suggested that Bangladesh should ‘create a publicly accessible database/matrix of all RMG/knitwear factories as a platform for reporting labour, fire, and building inspections, including information on the factories and locations, violations identified, fines and sanctions administered, factories closed or relocated, violations remediated, and the names of the lead inspectors.’
In several meetings with foreign diplomats including US ambassador Dan W Mozena and EU ambassador William Hanna, government officials assured that the government had taken an initiative to create the database in association with the ILO and it will be launched by March 31.
-With New Age input
