Staff Reporter :
The apparel exporters have protested the recent statement of the Accord Foundation saying it is an international conspiracy in order to subjugate the current progress of the RMG sector.
They also alleged that the Accord Foundation has pressurized the international brands to sign agreement to tarnish the goodwill of the Bangladesh’s apparel industry.
In statement issued on Sunday, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said a recent statement issued by the Accord Foundation declaring formation of the International Accord may have been confusing for many and might give the impression of a poor partnership.
“The press release may be seen to be undermining an independent organization, one that is not controlled or subservient to the parties of the above captioned agreement,” the statement said.
The statement said that the Accord foundation is misleading by claiming that the International Accord agreement is being implemented in Bangladesh by the independent national tri-partite RMG Sustainability Council (RSC).
“Under supervision and approval of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court, the RSC was formed as an independent non-profit company, licensed by the government to take over the operations of the Accord and as such, the Accord functions in Bangladesh ceased to exist as of May 31, 2020,” it said.
“The RSC has taken over the monitoring regime from June 1, 2020 bringing the RMG safety monitoring regimes under one umbrella,” the statement added.
“It remains the objective of the RMG Industry to foster an environment which promotes a common safety platform and code of conduct. The duty of compliance must be ensured for our continued safety and our well-earned pride in the stature of our industry,” the BGMEA said.
The Board of the RSC is only accountable to its stakeholders and works through a unique consensual decision making process, whereby no two groups may influence operations, it said.
“We also remain accountable to the Bangladesh government, being licensed to monitor the RMG sectors safety compliance and complaint mechanism,” the BGMEA president Faruque Hassan said.
The ILO and the EU, being key development partners to Bangladesh, have lent their endorsement to the RSC from its very inception, he said.
“The former stitching Bangladesh Accord Foundation and the proposed International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry Foundation are separate entities to the RSC and will not have any function in Bangladesh, directly or indirectly, unless expressly permitted by the Bangladesh government,” it said.
“We are justly proud of our achievements and we will continue to work with our partners to thrive and build a sustainable and safe industry,” the BGMEA president said.
Meanwhile, Mohammad Hatem, Senior Vice-President of the BKMEA, told The New Nation of Sunday, “The statement is absolutely a part of an international conspiracy to keep subjugated the progress of the RMG sector.”
“We strongly condemned and protested the statement and we urged the government to take legal action against the local vested quarters, who have influenced the Accord Foundation to issue the statement,” he said.
“The statement is also absolutely a contempt of court as the Accord has no scope to intervene internal issues of a sovereign country,” he added.
