Business Desk :
The International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have joined hands in a bid to continue the momentum of workplace safety in the garment industry of Bangladesh.
An implementation agreement was signed between ILO and BGMEA on Sunday to strengthen the capacity of Safety Committees.
President of BGMEA, Faruque Hassan; Chief technical advisor of ILO’s Improving Working Conditions in the RMG Sector Program, George Faller; BGMEA Vice President, Md Nasir Uddin and senior officials from ILO Bangladesh were present at the signing ceremony which was held at BGMEA’s PR office in Gulshan in the capita, reads a press release.
The labour law in Bangladesh makes it mandatory for all organizations with 50 or more employees to establish Safety Committees comprising of an equal number of representatives from workers and employers. Safety Committees are tasked to implement, monitor and communicate on safety issues at workplaces.
Under the deals inked with BGMEA, 700 Safety Committee members from 75 garment factories will be trained on occupational safety and health (OSH), hazard identification and risk assessment, building a safety culture, management of fire accidents and Covid-19 guidelines.
These up-skilled Safety Committee members will in turn spread the awareness among roughly 50,000 workers in their respective factories.
“Safety Committees bring together management and workers to help create and maintain a safe and healthy working environment,” said George Faller.
