Diplomats for action to ensure workplace safety
Diplomats from European countries and USA which are major destinations of the Bangladeshi apparel items on Tuesday said that they wanted to see commitments made by the government and factory owners to ensure workers safety in the readymade garment sector were turned into action to avoid any incidents like Rana Plaza building collapse in future.On the other hand, garment factory owners demanded an increase in prices of the RMG products and a unified code of conducts from the buyers so that they could make their factories compliant smoothly.
Western diplomats, however, did not make any commitment to the demand but assured that they would discuss the issue with the retailers in their countries.
At a views exchange meeting with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association held at the Westin Hotel on the day, they, on behalf of the buyers in their countries, committed to working together for ensuring workers rights and safety in the garment industry.
The BGMEA organised the meeting to inform the western ambassadors and high commissioners to Dhaka and representatives of the international development partners about the actions taken by the organisations after Rana Plaza collapse and its future plan for ensuring workers safety.
‘Bangladesh is now standing at a turning point after the Rana Plaza accident when international communities and buyers are showing concern about the workers rights and safety issues in the country,’ ambassador and head of delegation of the European Union in Dhaka William Hanna said a joint press briefing after the meeting.
‘So the situation must be changed and the problems must be solved and that’s why everyone will have to work together,’ he said.
‘We have heard a lot of commitments but commitments and talks are not enough. We need changes to save workers,’ he said.
He said, ‘As on the buyers’ side, we have to take responsibility for a sustainable solution of the problems related to workers safety and their rights. So we want to work together for long time with the government and the BGMEA for a real change to avoid such incidents in future.’
Hanna said that the government should pass the proposed amendment to the labour law in line with the Better Work Programme of International Labour Organisation so that the programme could be implemented in the country.
In reply to a question, he explained EU position on the Bangladesh RMG sector and said that EU wanted to work together to avoid such problems in future.
He also emphasised on implementation of the comprehensive compliance plan which buyers will provide the BGMEA by July.
BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said that they informed diplomats about the actions they had taken for ensuring workers safety after the Rana Plaza accident.
‘We request them to formulate a unified code of conducts for factories as different buyers set different types of conditions as compliance issues which makes the factory owners confused and create complexities to become compliant as owners work for several buyers,’ he said.
He said, ‘We have also requested them to convince their retailers to increase the price of clothes as we are getting very less for products.’
The BGMEA also suggested forming a buyers association in Bangladesh so that the BGMEA and the buyers association could work jointly in a coordinated way.
The diplomats assured that they would discuss the issues with their retailers, Atiq said.
At the opening speech, the BGMEA president termed the Rana Plaza accident ‘the cost of cheap price’.
He said a pair of jeans was sold at minimum $22 in the Western countries but makers got only 90 cent.
British high commissioner Robert Gibson, Canadian high commissioner Heather Cruden, German ambassador Albrecht Conze, French ambassador Michel Trinquier, Spanish ambassador Luis Tejada Chacón, Dutch ambassador Gerben Sjoerd de Jong, representatives from the US embassy and several international development partners including DFID, GIZ and ILO were present at the meeting.
-With New Age input
