BSS, Dhaka :
The inspection being carried out by the government against the backdrop of the Rana Plaza collapse two years ago, has brought significant improvement in the readymade (RMG) factories, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
To give an understanding on how the inspection is benefiting the apparel sector, the ILO released an article on Wednesday marking two years of the tragic factory collapse in Savar on April 24, in 2013.
The ILO is supporting the government through its Working Conditions in the Readymade Garment Sector Programme funded by Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“Since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse there has been a sustained effort to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the Labour Inspectorate”, the ILO said in the article, which described the field-level experience of an inspector.
“When I joined in 2013 it was different. The work capacity and work efficiency was not so high. But now so much has changed”, said Farzana Islam, one of the factory inspectors recruited by the government and trained by the ILO.
Farzana said she applied for this job after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and joined on December 24, 2013.
“I was mostly inspired by Rana Plaza. I was looking to do something that could help the workers. Most do not know their rights or responsibilities and that’s why I applied”, she said.
After joining, she went through a lot of trainings from ILO on various issues including on occupational safety and health (OSH), which took at least six months to know how to really do the job, but helped a lot.
When Rana Plaza collapsed there were rules about where the generator could be, but they were not enforced, Farzana said, adding that she now strictly follows the rules and does not renew factory license if there is a boiler on the second or third floor.
“When I come to renew the factory registration, it is clear that the boiler or generator needs to be on the ground floor or in another shed”, she said.
Besides, Farzana said during inspection she fill up a checklist with the factory registration number, number of workers and management names, and then visits the factory floors from top to bottom to make sure everything is okay including the fire safety and floor layout.
Farzana found the job of a factory inspector is challenging, but honourable as solving problem in garment factories makes her happy. “When a worker calls me and says ‘Farzana I got my salary’ it gives me so much happiness. If there is a violation and the management corrects it, I know I have solved at least one problem.”
The inspection being carried out by the government against the backdrop of the Rana Plaza collapse two years ago, has brought significant improvement in the readymade (RMG) factories, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
To give an understanding on how the inspection is benefiting the apparel sector, the ILO released an article on Wednesday marking two years of the tragic factory collapse in Savar on April 24, in 2013.
The ILO is supporting the government through its Working Conditions in the Readymade Garment Sector Programme funded by Canada, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.
“Since the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse there has been a sustained effort to enhance the capacity and efficiency of the Labour Inspectorate”, the ILO said in the article, which described the field-level experience of an inspector.
“When I joined in 2013 it was different. The work capacity and work efficiency was not so high. But now so much has changed”, said Farzana Islam, one of the factory inspectors recruited by the government and trained by the ILO.
Farzana said she applied for this job after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, and joined on December 24, 2013.
“I was mostly inspired by Rana Plaza. I was looking to do something that could help the workers. Most do not know their rights or responsibilities and that’s why I applied”, she said.
After joining, she went through a lot of trainings from ILO on various issues including on occupational safety and health (OSH), which took at least six months to know how to really do the job, but helped a lot.
When Rana Plaza collapsed there were rules about where the generator could be, but they were not enforced, Farzana said, adding that she now strictly follows the rules and does not renew factory license if there is a boiler on the second or third floor.
“When I come to renew the factory registration, it is clear that the boiler or generator needs to be on the ground floor or in another shed”, she said.
Besides, Farzana said during inspection she fill up a checklist with the factory registration number, number of workers and management names, and then visits the factory floors from top to bottom to make sure everything is okay including the fire safety and floor layout.
Farzana found the job of a factory inspector is challenging, but honourable as solving problem in garment factories makes her happy. “When a worker calls me and says ‘Farzana I got my salary’ it gives me so much happiness. If there is a violation and the management corrects it, I know I have solved at least one problem.”
