TI urges global buyers not to leave BD RMG sector

FE Team | Published: June 12, 2013 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Nizam Ahmed Global clothing companies should work with governments and the local groups to ensure uplift in factory safety and working conditions, the Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia chapters of Transparency International (TI) said on Tuesday. Quoting reports in the media, the said chapters of the TI in a statement said some companies were turning away from Bangladesh, which went against their commitment to preserving workers' rights and fighting corruption. Meanwhile, the Berlin-based global corruption watchdog on Tuesday urged the reputable brands and retailers not to abandon Bangladesh in the wake of its recent deadly industrial mishap. At the same time, few more brands including a top global retailer, based in Turkey, have signed up to a new international accord calling for improved safety of garment workers in Bangladesh. Along with the Turkish retailer LC Waikiki, more than 45 major brands including Abercrombie & Fitch, Benetton, H&M, John Lewis, Marks and Spencer, Primark, Sainsbury's, Kmart and Target have signed up to the accord until Monday, industry sources said. In another major development, a statement from the relevant chapters of Transparency International (TI) operating in Dhaka, Phnom Penh and Jakarta have advised the international apparel buyers to work with the governments concerned and local groups, including stakeholders, to improve safety and working conditions at garment factories. Cambodia and Indonesia, like several other Southeast Asian countries, have been growing fast as prominent ready-made garment (RMG) exporters following in the footsteps of Bangladesh, which has emerged as the second-largest apparel exporter of the world after China over the last 30 years. The TI statement has been issued after media reports said that some global brands were turning away from Bangladesh following the collapse of Rana Plaza at Savar in Dhaka killing some 1,129 workers and maiming scores in late April. It said by leaving Bangladesh, the global buyers might deter the missions of the TI, which has also been engaged in fighting against corruption and protecting the workers' rights in the country. Instead, the buyers should press the government into adopting appropriate policies to ensure integrity in the sector and equipping government factory inspection officials with greater power and responsibilities, said the statement issued on the website of the Transparency International. "Companies leaving in the face of such tragedies, or to avoid greater regulation, will only be punishing the victims of corruption rather than the perpetrators," the statement quoted TI Bangladesh Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman as saying. If the buyers do not leave Bangladesh and work with government and stakeholders, including workers, the safety standard at the factories will increase and the rights of the workers will be well protected, said Mr Iftekharuzzaman. Garment exports constitute 80 per cent of the annual aggregate export earnings of the country, and the sector employs more than four million workers, of whom 85 per cent are women. The statement commended initiatives already taken by companies, international organisations and local players to support the critically important readymade garments sector in general, and workers' rights in particular. "The legacy of the Savar tragedy should not be to scare business and investment away from Bangladesh, but to underscore the importance of conducting business with responsibility and integrity", said Mr Iftekharuzzaman. TI chapters in Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia emphasised the need for stronger enforcement of current laws and with greater human, professional, legal and institutional capacity to prevent such disasters in the future, said the statement. "It is the duty of the governments to enact appropriate laws in consultation with public and trade unions to assure the safe working condition for the workers and corruption-free investment in their countries," it said. The chapters also underscored the shared responsibility of consumers --- mainly in the developed world --- to demand ethically-made products. Large responsibility also lies with the governments in developed countries to assure that their companies meet national and international labour standards and do not engage in corrupt practices in conducting business in other countries, the statement said. Lax safety standard and poor labour rights were exposed after the Rana Plaza collapse hardly five months after a fire incident at Tazreen Fashions killed some 130 workers at Ashulia near Dhaka. "Corruption is one of the factors making it harder to tackle the problem. Negligence, lack of resources, bribes involved in licencing and issuing permits or collusion between factory owners and safety inspections allow facilities to remain even when dangers are identified," the statement said. Meanwhile, the campaign for bringing more retailers in the whole of Europe and North America to sign the accord aimed at improving safety standard and workers' rights in Bangladesh is also being invigorated, said a statement of IndustriALL Global Union, one of the sponsors of the accord. The Geneva-based IndustriALL Global Union which represents 50 million workers in 140 countries in the mining, energy and manufacturing sectors and UNI Global Union, which represents 20 million service sector workers around the world through 900 affiliated unions, set up the Bangladesh accord following the collapse of Rana Plaza.