Cabinet body irked over delay in picking 200 RMG inspectors

FE Team | Published: September 20, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Monira Munni The cabinet committee on ready-made garment (RMG) industry expressed its dissatisfaction Thursday over a delay in the process of appointing 200 additional industrial inspectors. It, however, asked the authorities to complete the appointment process within December 2013 deadline in order to meet the commitment made earlier by the government to the US and European Union in this regard. The dissatisfaction and directive came at a meeting of the 11-member committee that also discussed issues relating to building and fire safety, and working environment in the country's garment industry. "Inspectors' recruitment process is not satisfactory," Commerce Minister GM Quader told the FE after the meeting. The meeting also discussed its loopholes and the ways to accelerate it, he said adding the government has made commitment to recruit the additional 200 inspectors by December and there is also a pressure from the US and the EU in this regard. "This is a part of a series of steps the government has taken in line with the action plans recommended the US for retaining generalised system of preference (GSP) status," he added. An inter-ministerial meeting in August asked the Labour Ministry to complete recruitment of 200 factory inspectors through special arrangement by October 15. Earlier Jute and Textile Minister Abdul Latif Siddique handed over a report on garment industry inspection. A separate panel comprising 11 teams, headed by the Jute Minister, started their drives to identify the country's garment factories not complying with safety standards on June 01 last. The government-commissioned panel was formed to identify the problems of the industry as the apparel sector came under the spotlight of global brands, rights groups and labour organisations after the Rana Plaza collapse that claimed lives of over 1,100 workers. The teams inspected a total of 227 factories and made a report on the findings with some recommendations, the Jute Minister said adding the inspection found some faults related to construction, disparity in wages, and workers' safety related issues. The meeting sources said the recommendations mainly pointed out three issues-building structural integrity, fire safety and workers' welfare including rights to form union and collective bargaining. The recommendations also include bringing down the number of industrial accidents to zero to remove the foreign buyers and retailers' negative attitude about Bangladesh's garment industry following the tragic incidents in Tazreen and Rana Plaza. Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar said the report pointed out some problems including excessive number of workers on a floor compared to its size, obstacles in exit ways, some buildings constructed without any plan while some didn't have soil test report. Regarding the recruitment of inspectors, he said they got approval of upgrading the Labour Department to the Directorate from the Ministry of Public Administration with recruitment of 626 officials. Labour Ministry officials expected that they would start this recruitment process by November next.