PSC recommends recruiting 189 inspectors to bolster DIFE

One of the major conditions set for restoring and retaining the GSP facility on the US and European markets is all but met as Bangladesh Public Service Commission recommended Thursday recruiting another 189 inspectors for overseeing conditions of factories.  
Officials said the PSC-cleared candidates will be appointed as second-class non-cadre inspectors to the Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments (DIFE).
Since the upgrading of the labour directorate to a full-fledged department, the DIFE had recruited a total of 88 inspectors. Now the number rises to 277, they said.
With the recommendation, the officials noted, the government is finally able to meet the condition of recruiting 200 additional inspectors-one of the key requirements prescribed in the US action plan and the EU-framed Sustainability Compact to restore and retain the generalized system of preferences (GSP) in the two potential western markets.
"Finally, Thursday we got the list of candidates recommended by the PSC.
Now there is no hurdle in completing the recruitment," Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar told the FE.
Out of them, 127 are recommended for general inspector, 39 for health and 23 for safety inspector, he added.
After amending the recruitment rules, in August, the PSC sought interested persons from among the BCS candidates who came out successful in all tests, including viva-voce, but were yet to get any job for limited vacancies, sources said.
Till September 30, a total of 3,106 candidates had applied and the PSC gave 195 of them all-clear. Out of them, the PSC has temporarily withheld six candidates' results due to inconsistency in information.
DIFE Inspector-General Syed Ahmed said they will now issue letter to the authorities concerned for police and health verification.
"We are hopeful about completing the formalities within next two months," he added.   
Earlier, the Compact had initially set December 30, 2013 as the cut-off time for recruiting 200 additional inspectors. The government, however, had sought time thrice for the purpose due to non-completion of necessary formalities.
Failing to complete the recruitment process by the deadline, the government had got the timeframe extension until March, then June and then again until October 15.
The EU and the Bangladesh government signed the Compact in July 2013, and later the US joined the initiative as Washington suspended the GSP facility following some tragedies in the export-oriented garment industry.

munni_fe@yahoo.com