THE New Nation on Sunday reported that major retailers have suspended buying of apparels from 103 Bangladeshi RMG factories blaming failure to implement safety standards at their workplaces. The disclosure said 218 retailers which were implementing the safety standards at factories under North America run Accord and the EU run Alliance inspection regime after the Rana Plaza accident, have suspended buying from those factories. The actions seems to be highly shocking and also dismaying to the industry but it also puts the message that close cooperation and coordination between producers and buyers a must to keep the business steady. It is indeed regrettable that the owners of those factories could not initiate the compliance measures to create the desired better workplace in factories in three years resulting into the punitive measure. The negligence to workplace safety and failure to offer a decent salary and other benefits for hardworking workers often stand in contrast to making lavish profits by many running garment factories in our country. Our garment factory owners must know well that when buyers hold the key to the business, they have no room to avoid the speedy implementation of the compliance measures to remove all safety risks and offer better working environment to workers. There may also be many reasons for owners such as financial constraint or a setback in export earning in failing to make the necessary expenditure to achieve the factory standard. The report asserted that among the factories, 23 were supplying apparels to European fashion brands and 80 to North American buyers and retailers. Terming the decision stringent, a BGMEA leader said that the move has forced the factories to wrap up production leading to make hundreds of workers redundant, but he did not mention the real causes behind the suspension. The BGMEA leader said most of the export-oriented apparel factories inspected by the Accord and Alliance have already initiated the task of workplace safety and rest of the factories will go with them soon.The Rana Plaza disaster in 2014 came as a landmark event for Bangladesh garments creating global outcry for workplace safety as more than 1,100 workers died on the occasion. But we believe that the demand for strict compliance of safety by buyers has also come as blessing in disguise to achieve new recognition for the garment industry. With implementing the compliance standards the industry is going through a qualitative transition to reach a new height. So we believe that there must not be any negligence to achieving the higher safety standard. In our view suspension may be removed as soon as these factories would overcome the shortcomings. Pressure often works well but we would also like to say that buyers should not bring unnecessary pressure to make things worse. Mutuality must work in business to benefit all.
