Labour rights, RMG safety: EU not satisfied over progress

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UNB, Dhaka :The European Union (EU) is ‘not satisfied’ fully over the progress of the steps taken so far to ensure labour rights, safety and improving working conditions in the vital readymade garment (RMG) sector, said EU Ambassador to Bangladesh William Hanna on Sunday.”No, I’m not satisfied. There’s been some progress and lot more needs to be done as we talk about sustained production,” he told reporters after attending a function at Cirdap auditorium in the city.Care Bangladesh arranged the event, titled ‘Lives beyond Machines – A Reflection on Priorities for Women in the RMG Sector’ under its project Solidarity and Empowerment through education, Motivation and Awareness (SEEMA) funded by the EU.Country Representative of UN Women Christine Hunter and Care Bangladesh Country Director Jamie Terzi were also present.Hanna said, the RMG sector, with 4 million jobs and Bangladesh’s 60 percent export to the EU market, must ensure sustained production addressing all concerns.Responding to a question, the EU envoy said change is happening ‘slowly’ and it is very important to keep up the efforts over the next few weeks to present a picture (to the global media) which is a ‘promising one’.He also said, next month, one year after the Rana Plaza building collapse, there will be lot of foreign journalists who will come here and will be asking questions on the progress and steps taken so far.

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