The US Labour Department has put up $2.5 million in grants in an attempt to raise safety standards in Bangladesh’s readymade garment sector.
The grants also seek to improve representation and protection of
workers in the sector on fire safety issues.The Department’s Bureau of International Labour Affairs announced the competitive grant solicitation in a release issued on Thursday.
The department will fund one or more recipients who will work to strengthen the Bangladesh government’s ability to improve its enforcement of fire and building safety standards.
Its recipient(s) must build the capacity of worker organisations to effectively monitor violations of fire and building safety standards.
The applications are due on Augusy 2.
It said, ‘Readymade garment production has been central to Bangladesh’s economic development, with the sector accounting for the vast majority of Bangladesh’s exports to the US.’
The industry, it said, was also the focus of longstanding concerns for its violations of worker rights and safety standards.
Bangladesh has been the subject of a review under the Generalised System of Preferences trade programme since 2007.
These concerns were rejuvenated in the wake of the devastating fire at Tazreen Fashions factory in November 2012 which killed at least 112 garment workers.
Another massive disaster soon followed after multi-storey Rana Plaza collapsed in Savar on Apr 24 killing at least 1,230 workers and leaving numerous more with disability. Rana Plaza used to house five garment factories, so the vast majority of the victims were garment workers.
The Bangladesh government, industry, worker and civil society organisations along with other groups have increased efforts to address concerns of fire and building safety.
-With New Age input
