Accord, Alliance under fire

State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Hoque Chunnu came down heavily on Accord and Alliance Monday for their 'arbitrary' decision to suspend factory production under the ongoing inspection programmes.
The state minister said suspension of production in apparel factories has already caused a significant number of job-cut which could spark a fresh protest in the country's readymade garment (RMG) sector.
"We're under tremendous pressure following closure of a good number of factories due to their ongoing inspection programmes. If the situation continues until Ramadan, it could lead to a widespread protest in the garment industry," he said while speaking as the chief guest at the inaugural session of a day-long workshop on occupational safety and health in the industry.
The ministry of labour and employment and ILO (International Labour Organization) jointly organised the workshop titled 'Managing Occupational Safety and Health at Workplace in garment industry' at a city hotel on the day.
Mr. Chunnu said the government made many changes in the country's existing Labour Act to ensure workplace safety in the country's all industrial sectors, including the RMG.  
But it will take time to bring the factories in a well-planned shape as the apparel industry had started developing in the country more than three decades ago in an unplanned way.
He said Accord and Alliance, the two platforms of retailers and brands of Europe and America, went to inspect apparel units and gave instruction to close down factories on the grounds of structural and fire safety.
"Of course, we want workplace safety in each of the factories. But shutting down apparel units, where hundreds of workers are employed, is not the solution," he said.
Accord, a platform of 150 retailers and brands mainly from the Europe while Alliance, a platform of 27 US-based retailers and brands, are engaged in checking structural and fire safety in factories here after the Rana Plaza tragedy that killed over 1130 workers.
He was also critical of the role of international buyers, saying that the buyers always threaten of work-order suspension unless cent per cent workplace safety is ensured.
"But they (buyers) never talk about increasing the prices of the clothing's rather they started cancelling orders. It's not a justice at all," he said in frustration.
The state minister also called upon all the stakeholders, including buyers and owners, to get united and come up without being emotional and motivated for the wellbeing of the sector, which accounts for nearly 80 per cent of the country's US$ 23 billion export earnings recorded in the financial year 2012-2013.
Speaking on the occasion, labour secretary Mikail Shipar said the government had amended the Labour Act with inclusion of various provisions in respect to workplace safety for the country's 54 million industrial workers.
He said they have already appointed 67 inspectors to the vacant posts at the department of factory inspection. "Once the recruitment is completed, the government would be able to check the issue of occupational safety and health in a more efficient way.
Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation of Kingdom of the Netherlands Lilianne Ploumen applauded the government's adaptation of a National Occupational Safety and Health Policy as part of its response to the commitments made in the National Action Plan on Fire and Building Safety in July, 2013.
"Well-functioning occupational safety and health committees in factories are essential for the safety and health of workers. For this, I hope these new committees are established in a fair and transparent manner with the appropriate representation of workers," she said.
The minister said the Netherlands, Canada and the United Kingdom are committed to the establishment and the capacity building of the committees in the garment industries.
"This participatory planning workshop is an important initiative towards ensuring safe work places and preventing accident in the apparel industry," ILO Country Director for Bangladesh Srinivas B Reddy said.
Over 60 participants from the government, trade unions, apparel owners and buyers attended the planning session on occupational safety and health (OSH).