UNB, Dhaka :
The European Commission for Trade on Tuesday said Bangladesh must do more to ensure the safety and health at work in addition to continued improvement in freedom of association and collective bargaining in the country.
“The government of Bangladesh must address reports of denials to register trade unions, anti-trade union discrimination, intimidation and harassment,” said the technical progress report – Staying Engaged-A Sustainability Compact for continuous improvements in labour rights and factory safety in the RMG industry in Bangladesh.
The report in its executive summary mentioned that inspections of buildings also must continue and should be swiftly followed by remediation measures to ensure the safety and health of workers at work.
The extension of the application of the national labour law to the export processing zones (EPZ) must begin and implementing regulations need to be adopted swiftly, it said.
Further amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) are necessary to ensure the full compliance with core labour standards. Bangladesh’s RMG industry must also live up to its commitments to improve labour rights at the factory level.
One year ago, in response to the tragic loss of lives when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed, the EU took action through a Sustainability Compact to promote better labour rights and more responsible supply chain management in garment manufacturing in Bangladesh.
The report published by the Commission on Tuesday reviewed progress made and outlines steps that still need to be taken.
It will be used as a basis for discussions in a follow-up stocktaking exercise in Brussels, to which key stakeholders will be invited.
European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor in a joint statement said, “We welcome the serious commitment to deliver marked progress today. We commend those foreign retailers who did stay engaged in Bangladesh.
As a matter of priority, we also urge the government of Bangladesh to complete the labour law reform, training and recruitment of inspectors and to create the conditions for meaningful freedom of association. Better labour conditions will support sustainable trade links with many markets, especially the European Union”.
The Sustainability Compact for Bangladesh builds on the existing commitments on respect for labour rights, with a particular focus on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining; occupational safety and health and factory safety; as well as the support for and promotion of responsible business conduct.
Bangladesh has made much progress since the launch of the Compact on 8 July 2013, including amendments to the labour law to strengthen fundamental rights at work, such as certain aspects of freedom of association and collective bargaining.
New trade unions have been established and intense training and capacity building of various stakeholders has taken place. Overall, workers are more aware of their rights and more ready to assert themselves.
Besides, common standards for structural building safety assessments have been agreed factory inspections are ongoing with basic factory data already published and steps being taken to make information of inspections also publicly available in addition to the information of inspections published by private sector initiatives.
The European Commission for Trade on Tuesday said Bangladesh must do more to ensure the safety and health at work in addition to continued improvement in freedom of association and collective bargaining in the country.
“The government of Bangladesh must address reports of denials to register trade unions, anti-trade union discrimination, intimidation and harassment,” said the technical progress report – Staying Engaged-A Sustainability Compact for continuous improvements in labour rights and factory safety in the RMG industry in Bangladesh.
The report in its executive summary mentioned that inspections of buildings also must continue and should be swiftly followed by remediation measures to ensure the safety and health of workers at work.
The extension of the application of the national labour law to the export processing zones (EPZ) must begin and implementing regulations need to be adopted swiftly, it said.
Further amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act (BLA) are necessary to ensure the full compliance with core labour standards. Bangladesh’s RMG industry must also live up to its commitments to improve labour rights at the factory level.
One year ago, in response to the tragic loss of lives when the Rana Plaza complex collapsed, the EU took action through a Sustainability Compact to promote better labour rights and more responsible supply chain management in garment manufacturing in Bangladesh.
The report published by the Commission on Tuesday reviewed progress made and outlines steps that still need to be taken.
It will be used as a basis for discussions in a follow-up stocktaking exercise in Brussels, to which key stakeholders will be invited.
European Commissioner for Trade Karel De Gucht and Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion László Andor in a joint statement said, “We welcome the serious commitment to deliver marked progress today. We commend those foreign retailers who did stay engaged in Bangladesh.
As a matter of priority, we also urge the government of Bangladesh to complete the labour law reform, training and recruitment of inspectors and to create the conditions for meaningful freedom of association. Better labour conditions will support sustainable trade links with many markets, especially the European Union”.
The Sustainability Compact for Bangladesh builds on the existing commitments on respect for labour rights, with a particular focus on freedom of association and right to collective bargaining; occupational safety and health and factory safety; as well as the support for and promotion of responsible business conduct.
Bangladesh has made much progress since the launch of the Compact on 8 July 2013, including amendments to the labour law to strengthen fundamental rights at work, such as certain aspects of freedom of association and collective bargaining.
New trade unions have been established and intense training and capacity building of various stakeholders has taken place. Overall, workers are more aware of their rights and more ready to assert themselves.
Besides, common standards for structural building safety assessments have been agreed factory inspections are ongoing with basic factory data already published and steps being taken to make information of inspections also publicly available in addition to the information of inspections published by private sector initiatives.
