UNB, Dhaka :
Affirming his country’s continued support, a German diplomat here on Sunday said Bangladesh and its global partners need to ensure workers’ safety by implementing a strict, transparent and efficient factory inspection system. “We need to ensure workers’ safety by implementing a strict, transparent and efficient factory inspection system. To this end, Germany will continue its support,” said Dr Ferdinand von Weyhe, Chargé d’ Affaires of the German Embassy in Dhaka. He was addressing the inaugural session of a three-day seminar for factory inspectors being held in the city. State Minister for Labour and Employment M Mujibul Haque spoke on the occasion as the chief guest.
The follow-up meeting of the ‘EU-Bangladesh Sustainability Compact’ that takes place in Brussels on Monday will send out a clear signal in this regard, said the diplomat adding, “Our joint efforts to improve the situation on the ground are reflecting our political commitment.”
Since many years Germany is committed to assisting Bangladesh to improve working conditions and safety standards in the RMG sector, said a press release.
The governments of Bangladesh and Germany to this end created a joint programme on ‘Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards in the Industry’ (PSES) to ensure – among various other issues – an improvement in workers’ rights and safety in the RMG sector. A key element to reach this goal is an efficient, credible and transparent labour inspection system.
A team of compliance professionals from GIZ, part of German Development Cooperation, in cooperation with labour inspection experts from the International Labour Organization (ILO), are conducting the seminar for factory inspectors. Speaking on the occasion, Mujibul Haque said after the country’s worst-ever industrial tragedies, Rana Plaza building collapse and the fire incident in Tazreen Garments last year, the government has upgraded the Directorate to a Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments adding 679 new positions, including 392 plots for new inspectors.
“Already, the government has appointed new inspectors, recruitment of many more are also in the pipeline,” he said.
Acting Country Director, GIZ and Program Coordinator of PSES Magnus Schmid said, “I’m happy that our project PSES is able to offer this advanced training with three of our own staff members who speak Bangla well. In the next step besides the theoretical training, we’ll offer practical trainings for the inspectors in our partner factories.”
GIZ has a longstanding, ongoing relationship with the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and the ILO through many interventions with the aim of strengthening the capacity of the labour inspectors will conduct comprehensive inspections.
