Netherlands wants to support the garment industry of Bangladesh to grow in a responsible manner, said a Dutch minister in Dhaka on Sunday.
Dutch trade and development cooperation minister Lilianne Ploumen also urged global buyers not to stop sourcing from Bangladesh apparel sector.‘The recent incidents demand increasing efforts to work together to enhance workers’ rights and safety standards in the RMG sector with a view to preventing similar tragic incidents in the future,’ said the Dutch minister at a news conference held after a consultative meeting on donor support in the readymade garment sector in Bangladesh at a hotel in the capital.
‘It’s the time to improve the working condition and all stakeholders including the textile sector, manufacturers, consumers and governments have to take responsibility to break the inhuman circle,’ Lilianne said.
She also said that they were talking with Sweden, Denmark, Germany, UK and other EU countries to form a group in order to support to enhance the workers’ rights and workplace safety.
Not only national parties but also the international buyers, the fashion brands that place their orders for low price in Bangladesh have responsibility to improve the labour condition and to ensure a decent wage, the Dutch minister said.
Replying to a question, she said that the Netherlands would contribute 9 million euro for the improvement of the working condition in the garment sector of Bangladesh.
At the news conference, commerce minister GM Quader and the Dutch minister made a joint statement to strengthen the collaborative efforts on Bangladeshi RMG sector.
At the statement the two ministers said that they had affirmed their collective determination to work together to improve the working condition for the Bangladeshi workers in the export-oriented RMG industry.
‘We look forward to full implementation of the tripartite agreement with the ILO and tripartite plan of action on fire safety and early commencement of the ILO Better Works Programme for improvement of health and occupational safety in the RMG sector,’ the statement said.
Earlier, the Dutch minister and the BGMEA University of Fashion and Technology inked a Declaration of Intent on corporate social responsibility, occupational safety and health, good governance, environmental management and innovative leadership in the RMG sector in Bangladesh at the same venue.
BUFT chairman Muzaffar U Siddique and BGMEA president Atiqul Islam, among others, were present on the occasion.
-With New Age input
