ILO lauds improvement made in BD RMG sector

FE Team | Published: December 08, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) in its latest report noted that Bangladesh's readymade garment (RMG) sector showed dynamism in improving workplace safety, reports BSS.
Referring to the Rana Plaza tragedy in April 2013, the ILO's Global Wage Report 2014-15, released last week, stated that the accident prompted the local and international community to take immediate action towards improved workplace safety for more than four million garment workers through the Bangladesh Accord.
It said the recent developments in Bangladesh RMG sector "illustrate dynamism" when the global garment buyers were increasingly prioritising productivity and reliability of supply while showing disfavour to the reputation of risks of poor working conditions.
The report said historically, the garment industry relied on low wages and minimum standards in working conditions, but low labour costs are not the only factor that drives sourcing decisions.
The ILO report also noted the recent increase in minimum wages of the country's garment workers. "Minimum wages also caught public attention in Bangladesh, where they increased in December 2013 for the country's more than four million garment workers. The rate for the entry-level Grade-7 is now Tk 5,300 per month (US$68), compared to Tk 3,000 under the previous Minimum Wage Order of November 2010," the report said.
The report, however, pointed out that the wage growth around the world slowed in 2013 to 2.0 per cent, compared to 2.2 per cent in 2012.
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed in October said the garment workers of the country are getting 300 per cent higher wages compared to that they used to get in five years ago.
For improving workers' safety, the government also upgraded the Chief Inspector of Factories and Establishments office to a department, sanctioning 679 new staff positions in the Directorate, including 392 new inspectors.
In association with the ILO, the government is also implementing a three-and-a-half-year initiative aimed at improving working conditions in the RMG sector.
The $24.21 million RMG programme is funded by Canada, the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.