Ten-point reform plan for Bangladesh

During a seminar last Thursday in Dhaka, various

representatives of Bangladesh’s garment industry came up with a 10-point plan to reform the sector’s readymade garment (RMG) manufacturing units to avoid disasters such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza building that killed more than 1,100 mostly female garment workers.

The “Post-Rana Reform Roadmap” was outlined by the Dhaka-based Policy Research Institute (PRI) and discussed by industry representatives at the seminar organized by the Bangladesh Employer’s Federation (BEF), the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) and the PRI.

More than 1000 factories need to move

The first step in improving key safety and compliance issues for at least 1,000 apparel units currently housed in unsafe buildings would be to relocate them to safety compliant buildings. The cost for this, estimated at around 100 billion Bangladeshi taka (1.28 billion dollar), could initially be borne by the government and its development partners and paid back by the owners in subsequent years.

“The government has already taken the necessary steps to shift the noncompliant factories. Besides that, we have also decided to increase the number of inspectors to complete inspection of compliance of all factories,” said commerce minister GM Quader. It is also important to carry out the relocation in phases and in different clusters based on the availability of suitable land.

Fire safety is key for Bangladesh

Fire safety is another key concern of the roadmap, which suggests giving fire safety training to all factories for three months before carrying out unannounced fire drills by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Export Association (BGMEA). Verifying property and building documents before entering any lease agreement would also be important for factory owners.

“We need a unified code and conduct so that all factories can follow it easily. The BGMEA has already asked all factories to submit reports on soil test and structure of building. If anyone fails to submit the reports within the scheduled time, we will take punitive action,” announced BGMEA president Atiqul Islam.

Another important issue addressed by the roadmap is an increase of the minimum wage of currently 3,000 Bangladeshi takas (38 dollars) per month. This should go hand-in-hand with the right to form trade unions. The roadmap suggests bi-monthly talks between factory owners, workers and their representatives as well as initiatives like free education for the children of garment workers, the establishment of a welfare fund and training centres for skill improvement. “Workers must be assured decent wages, union rights and safe workplace,” summed up Kalpona Akter the demands, executive director of the Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity (BCWS).