44pc RMG units have no safety committee

About 44 per cent of the apparel factories, surveyed by a government organisation, don't have safety committee that has been made mandatory in the recently amended labour law, sources said.
According to the law, any factory that employs 50 workers or more than that must form a safety committee and function accordingly.
On the other hand, the recent review meeting of the Sustainability Compact held in Brussels also pressed for the   establishment of such committees at factory level for ensuring structural, occupational and health safety.
But, the rules to implement the labour law are yet to be finalised though one year has already elapsed after amendment to the law, they further noted.
Officials said the labour ministry would require two more months for finalising the draft of the rules saying many stakeholders are involved with the process.
The Department of Inspectors for Factories and Establishment (DIFE) under the ministry of labour and employment has come up with the findings after it surveyed a total of 555 readymade garment units during the July-September period.
Out of the surveyed units, 366 are members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and 54 are members of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) while the rest are affiliated with neither of the two associations, the findings revealed.
"About 313 surveyed factories have safety committees while the remaining 242 haven't," the survey report said.
On the other hand, the percentage of factories that have such committees is poor among the non-member BGMEA/BKMEA units, only 30 per cent, it added.
Some 32 per cent factories did not ensure personal safety net of the workers while 46 per cent of them did not preserve safety record book and safety board, it showed.
Syed Ahmed, Inspector General of DIFE said owners should encourage the formation of such committees for the betterment of both workers and owners.
"Many problems could be solved easily if there is any body or committee in a factory. Both the workers and owners or factory management can discuss the way out of any crisis," he mentioned.
"Many things that made mandatory by the law just found in documents due to pressure from foreign buyers, " Nazma Akter, president of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation said.
But in reality, most of them do not exist or practice, she said adding the factory owners need to change their mind set about any independent neutral committee or body in a factory.
She also stressed on the speedy finalisation of the rules to ease the procedure as many factory owners take the advantage of not having any rules.
However, Md Shahidullah Azim, vice president of BGMEA said safety committees do not exist in all factories due to absence of guidelines.
Safety committee is mandatory by the law, but its formation and functioning would be cleared by the rules which are yet to get a final shape, he added.
The issues will be discussed in the meeting expected to be held this week, he added.

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