The IndustriALL Global Union called upon the government Saturday for continuation of its reforms in the Bangladesh Labour Act to make the law fully compliant with the standards of International Labour Organisation (ILO).
IndustriALL, a global trade union federation, also sought commitment from the brands that sourced from the garment factories at collapsed Rana Plaza for urgent payment to an agreed trust fund for compensating victims and their families.
The visiting general secretary of the IndustriALL Jyrki Raina made the call at a press conference at a city hotel.
The press conference was also attended, among others, by Sudhershan Rao Sarde, South Asia regional secretary of the IndustriALL, Nazrul Islam Khan, chairman of its Bangladesh Chapter and Roy Ramesh Chandra, the chapter's general secretary.
"We ask the Bangladesh government to continue with the labour law reform to make it fully compliant with the ILO standards," Mr Raina said.
He, however, underscored the need for continuation of annual revisions of the minimum wage for RMG workers in order to reach a reasonable standard of wage in the country.
"The minimum wage is rising all over the Asia Pacific Region. Examples are seen in countries like Indonesia, China, Thailand and Cambodia," he said to back his call for the continuous wage revisions.
Raising the minimum wage is a win-win situation for the whole society. Because, when the people earn more, they spend more, which is a direct investment back into the economy, he said.
Regarding the Rana Plaza victims' compensation, the IndustriALL top official said the negotiation process, led by the ILO and its experts, has been going on since September last. In late December, an agreement on a US$ 40 million trust fund was reached.
The ground-breaking element of the Accord, initiated by IndustriALL Global Union, along with Uni Global Union, is the "legally binding commitment of the brands and buyers to stay in Bangladesh during the five years of the project," he said.
The Accord covers more than 2.0 million garment workers, almost 2,000 factories are covered by the Accord and inspections started in January last, he said.
"Breaking from failed corporate-led social auditing of the past, under the Accord trade unions, global brands and buyers, the Bangladesh government and factory owners are working together to improve the precarious situation of garment workers in Bangladesh," Mr Raina added.
Replying to a query about the Bangladesh apparel makers' objection to conduct apparel-factory inspection only by the foreign experts, he said, "I think the best solution will be a combination of the local and foreign inspectors."
He, however, categorically said the IndustriALL would not compromise with the compliance standards set for carrying out the factory inspection programme in Bangladesh as the issue is related to lives of the garment workers.
When asked about the alleged termination of some workers soon following their involvement in union activities, he said: "It is a problem, the federation is working on the issue."
Seeking necessary cooperation from Bangladesh's apparel makers in this respect, Mr Raina said the union would provide training later to the workers and mid-level officials so that they can work together for the industry's betterment.
Mr Raina was in Dhaka on a two-day visit to monitor the union's activities especially in the Readymade Garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh.
IndustriALL Global Union, along with Uni Global Union, initiated the accord after the largest industrial disaster of Rana Plaza to make the Bangladesh RMG industry safe and sustainable. The accord was signed with over 150 global apparel brands and retailers.
The global trade union represents 50 million workers in the mining, energy and manufacturing companies in 140 countries.
