New labour inspectors could reduce risks to factory accidents

FE Report | Published: January 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

A three-day training for the newly appointed inspectors began Wednesday aiming to achieve sustainable reform in labour inspection system, specially in the garment sector.
International Labour Organisation (ILO) and GIZ joined hands to carry out the training programme in Dhaka to develop capacity of the newly recruited labour inspectors of the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) where resource persons from the ILO and GIZ interact with the new labour inspectors.
The training takes place within the framework of both the ILO Project "Improving working conditions in the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh" as well as "Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry" (PSES), a joint project of the governments of Bangladesh and Germany.
The ILO RMG Project is funded by Canada, DFID and the Netherlands while the PSES program is co-funded by the EU.
Key issues discussed in the course include the role of labour inspectors in line with Bangladesh economy and legal structure, the ILO fundamental principles and rights at work, features of a credible and transparent labour inspection system, national labour law, and inspection techniques.
"The training of the newly recruited Labour Inspectors is a sign of the implementation of the commitments that the Government of Bangladesh and the development partners have made to ensure safety of ready-made garments workers," Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar said at the inauguration of the training programme.
It serves the purpose of enhancing the overall operational capacity of the DIFE and ensuring labour rights in all sectors, he added.
"The recruitment of the 41 new Labour Inspectors and their ongoing training is significant milestone to reduce the risk of future tragedies in the Ready-made Garments Sector. It is an important fulfillment of governments commitment to improve labour standards and implement national legislation," said Srinivas Reddy, ILO Country Director.
Johannes Schneider, First Secretary, Head of German Development Cooperation, Embassy of Germany said, GIZ has a long-standing ongoing relationship with the MoLE through the many interventions of PSES, and one of its consistent approaches have been to strengthen the capacity of the Labour Inspectors to conduct quality inspections.
"This initiative aims for an extensive reform, rather specifically targeted, keeping in mind MoLE's resource constraints, to areas where maximum improvement can be achieved in the overall system".