THE New Nation on Saturday carried a story saying the North American Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety – a union made of 26 US retailers and Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) differ on safety standards of at least 110 garment factories at a time when cooperation and understanding are more important than leaving any misgiving on either side to overshadow the good business relations. The report said the Alliance has identified the garment factories in question where those factories are yet to improve the safety flaws that were detected through detailed engineering assessment (DEA). The list of the non-compliant factories has been handed over to BGMEA requesting the apex trade body of the garment sector to expedite the remediation process. But BGMEA leaders have reportedly ruled out the list saying it is ‘unnecessary’ thus opening an unnecessary misunderstanding. We hold the view that difference of opinion is part of the real life business but it has also the ways to be resolved. We believe that such difference must be rather settled on the basis of experts’ reports rather basing on guesswork. In our view both sides as buyers and sellers are at work to protect the industry and business by taking into account interest of multi-sectoral stakeholders, such as workers and industry owners in one hand and retailers and interest of western rights groups on the other who want exploitation free apparels. We know that the America based retailers ‘Alliance’ was formed after the Rana Plaza disaster to improve the safety standards in Bangladesh garment factories in the wake of killing of over 1100 workers. Earlier Tazreen Factory fire also made buyers unhappy and western buyers made conditional their buying of apparels based on quick improving the factory safety standards and workers’ rights. Europe based retailers have also set up another monitoring body known as ‘Accord’ and they are assessing engineering shortfalls and other safety standards to make garment industry in Bangladesh accident free. As per report Alliance has so far assessed around 600 factories and engineering reports on 300 factories were so far submitted to BGMEA. Survey and remedial steps are going hand in hand.We must say, Bangladesh garment industry has so far showed its dynamics from rag to rise to an industry of billions of dollars annual turn over. We also believe that it has the capacity to fight back all odds and the necessity of time demands closer cooperation between buyers and sellers in good spirit. After the Rana Plaza disaster, the industry has achieved quick restructuring at many fronts including improving the fire safety, workers right to union to overcome western compliance requirement. But as we know the industry is now facing tough time from prolonged blockades, which has hurt shipment and production. Meanwhile many potential competitors are crowding; the latest being Sri Lanka which is negotiating duty free export to the EU market. We urge the industry owners to fulfil all compliance requirement so that the industry can run uninterrupted.
