Experts on Monday recommended establishment of a 'global secretariat' with representatives of buyers, suppliers and workers to look into wages, prices and production cost-related issues of readymade garment (RMG) industry.
The suggestion came at a seminar on 'Reinventing the Apparel Model - The Race to Responsible Buying & Productivity Enhancement', which was held in the city on the sidelines of the Dhaka Apparel Summit.
The seminar focused on sustainability issues from the perspective of global value chain, accountability of the stakeholders and responsible entrepreneurship.
Dr. Sharif As-Saber, Head of Geopolitics, Business and Government research cluster at the RMIT University of Melbourne, recommended a global integrated and coordinated solution.
He said a global secretariat will act as a think-tank and will come up with effective solutions to different problems of the industry. A ministry should also be established for the RMG industry in Bangladesh, he also suggested.
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, said the relationship between buyers and suppliers is crucial for responsible sourcing. He recommended one unified audit by all buyers instead of several audits.
He said: "Bangladesh provides minimum wage $69 which is closer to that of the country's competitors. But the bank interest gap is much higher than that in the competing countries."
While the interest rates of bank loans in India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Pakistan, Cambodia range between 10.60 per cent and 13.50 per cent, the rates in Bangladesh vary between 16 per cent and 18 per cent, he pointed out.
Richard P. Appelbaum, Professor of the University of California at Santa Barbara, suggested binding and legally enforceable agreement between brands and contracted factories for renovating or retrofitting to make buildings safe.
Tyler Gillard, Head of Sector Projects, Responsible Business Conduct Unit, OECD, said, suppliers have the responsibility to estimate the cost and communicate it properly to the buyers.
He recommended market access, improvement of productivity, and stopping of reputational damage.
Nazma Akter, President of Sammilito Garments Sramik Federation, urged the foreign buyers to respect workers and pay fair prices.
She said, H&M, a multinational company, made profits to the tune of 150 per cent. She asked how much of the benefits go to the workers of manufacturing countries like Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and others.
She urged the government to set up a RMG village with all the facilities like infrastructure, power, and gas.
Ms Nazma urged the foreign multinational companies to pay fair prices, respect workers and keep alive their productivity.
Mayaudon Pierre, Ambassa-dor/Head of Delegation of the European Union in Bangladesh, said that giving a sense of belonging to the companies they work for will help workers enhance their productivity.
"To make apparel model sustainable, you just have to give importance to the workers first", he said.
Dr Toufiq Ali, Chief Executive of the Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC), moderated the sixth session.
Former president of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Anwar Ul Alam Chowdhury, Managing Director, Joint ETI (Ethical Trading Initiative) DIEH Per N. Bondevik and Vice President, International Trade, the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA) Nate Herman, also spoke at the seminar.
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Experts for a global secretariat for RMG
FE Report | Published: December 09, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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