Remediation for non-compliant garment factories has hit snags as operators of such units are not the owners of such factory buildings, sources involved in the process said.
Due to such ownership problems, issues relating to responsibilities of carrying out the proposed remediation and bearing its costs remain unsettled, they mentioned, adding most of such factories are located at shared buildings.
The situation, according to them, has also created panic and uncertainty among the other factory owners especially those who share single buildings with other factories or other establishments.
Western retailers and the local apparel makers are in dispute over resumption of production in such factories that were suspended after finding structural flaws there.
The factory owners whose units are in rented or shared buildings are seriously concerned as to whether they have to face sudden suspension or not. Nobody knows who will take the responsibility of repairing the faulty buildings and make the payment for it, they added.
Since March last to until now, about 15 factories located in five buildings have faced temporary production suspension as inspectors of the two western buyers' initiatives-Accord and Alliance-found structural flaws there.
Following their recommendation, the official review committee declared temporary production suspension in those factories while they also recommended corrective action plan to resume production.
"But problems lie there as the factory owners and the building owners are not the same persons," a source who is involved in the process told the FE.
Moreover, none knows which owners will carry out remediation that involves a huge cost, he added.
Factory owners are not willing to continue their production in a building which has already been declared faulty, the source said adding none of them would take the responsibility of any recurrence of another Rana Plaza.
Three factories Softex Cotton Pvt Ltd, Fame Sweater and Diamond located in a single building at Mirpur are yet to start remedial work as the stakeholders are yet to fix a corrective action plan even after more than one month.
They are yet to decide who will strengthen the buildings' faulty columns or do retrofitting there and who will pay either the building owner or the factory owners. Only Softex produced apparel products for the Accord brands.
Softex owner Rezwan Selim recently told the FE, "I want to run my factory but not in a faulty building. All now depend on the building owner."
Those factories have paid the workers' wages according to the labour law.
"The Accord has identified problems but it is yet to provide any remedy for it," Md. Moshiul Azam (Shajal), managing director of Fame Sweater told the FE.
"Who will do the remedy? I am not the owner of the building," he asked.
Accord's Executive Director Rob Wayss said they are working with engineers, factory and building owners and brands so that partial production of the Softex could resume shortly.
Replying to a question as to why the process is taking much time, he said they have to coordinate with all the parties. Shibly Nomany, managing director of Natural Sweater said, "I don't want further Rana Plazas. But the situation has now become uncertain as it is a rented building."
The building owner lives abroad, he added.
Natural Sweater and Attune Fashion have faced production suspension as they share the same building with the Accord's listed factory-- Four Wing Ltd.
Recently the review committee asked RSI Apparel at Chittagong- a member factory of the Alliance-- for immediate production suspension following recommendation of engineers of the North American retailers that it has serious structural flaws.
The factory is located in a rented building that accommodates two more garment units Kent and Shahchand and the market in the ground floor.
Inspector General of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments Syed Ahmed said, "We can't force the building owners. Factory owners have to negotiate and coordinate with the building owners for their greater interest."
According to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), about 40 per cent out of a total of 3,500 running factories are located in either shared or rented buildings.
Remediation for non-compliant RMG factories hits snags
Monira Munni | Published: April 22, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2025 06:01:00
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