Inspection Of Workplace Safety
North American retailers unveil list of 620 factories
The North American retailers’ alliance has published a list of more than 620 Bangladesh factories, mostly garment units, for inspection and remedial support for building and workers safety.
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety on Tuesday made public the list of the factories, from which the retailers take their products. The list contains names of garment, textile, footwear, ceramic, and packaging and printing units across the country.
Key data points include factory name and address, the number of storeys of each structure, whether a building includes multiple apparel factories and whether it houses other types of businesses, the number of workers at each factory.
According to the list, shared suppliers have made up approximately 50 per cent of the Alliance factory list, highlighting further the need for combined efforts on behalf of garment industry workers, said a statement of Alliance which includes major retailers like Walmart, GAP and JC Penny.
It said an estimated 1.1 million workers are engaged with 620 factories.
‘By releasing this information, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety hopes to be taking yet another step towards partnership on coordinated trainings, inspections and remedial support. Achieving this will require concerted and sustained efforts to work with government, the International Labour Organisation, industry, workers, factory management and civil society,’ it said.
The Alliance also said the full list of factories was shared with the Fair Factories Clearinghouse in September 2013.
The list represents inputs from the majority of Alliance members.
‘The Alliance recognises that this factory list is a work in progress, and will be working to validate and update details over the coming months as new members complete their internal processes for sharing factory information,’ it said.
After the Rana Plaza disaster, which killed 1,131 workers, European and North American retailers formed separate alliances for factory inspection in Bangladesh amid global outcry over the safety standards of the garment units.
Earlier in October the EU Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh made public a list of nearly 1,600 factories covered by their pact, employing more than 2 million workers.
The EU accord is expected to launch its safety inspection next month.
A total of 17 North American retailers, including Walmart and GAP, on July 10 formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Workers Safety Initiative undertaking a five-year plan.
Now the number of signatories has reached 20, which sets aggressive timelines and accountability for inspections, training and worker empowerment.
The Alliance promised $100 million in low-cost capital funding to improve fire and structural safety in Bangladeshi factories.
Bangladesh government along with International Labour Organisation will launch another safety inspection of factories which are not covered by the EU Accord and the Alliance.
-With New Age input
