THE US senate committee in a report has mentioned that Bangladesh’s readymade garment factories are now structurally safer but the workers inside the factory buildings are not. The observation of the report is much to our astonishment as it comes at a time when most of the garment factories went through overall renovation with the knowledge of the international community following the devastating Rana Plaza collapse. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Rubana Huq, however, expressed disagreement about the issue in her reply that was sent to the US senate. The report titled ‘Seven Years after Rana Plaza, Significant Challenges Remain’ prepared by the US senate committee on foreign relations and published on March 5 also said workers in readymade garment factories in Bangladesh were facing increasing intimidation, termination and verbal, physical and sexual abuses as the environment for union organisers and activists had deteriorated in the country. Not only that, labour rights declined precipitously in recent years in Bangladesh RMG sector as union organisers now struggle while the authorities continue to curb freedoms to associate, organise, and demonstrate. Lack of access to justice, especially for women, contributes to a pervasive culture of abuse in the RMG factories, where perpetrators often act with impunity, the senate committee report said.
We don’t disagree that there are some unregistered RMG factories in Bangladesh and many of them do not meet safety standards. But that cannot be an overall picture of our RMG sector. After the Rana Plaza tragedy in June 2013, under close supervision of two international initiatives – the European-based Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the American-based Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety – the RMG sector was refurbished. So there shouldn’t be any question about it. Though the US had suspended Generalized System of Preferences, Bangladesh has been able to find out alternative markets in the meantime. And what’s interesting is that — the trade union facilities are not required in the modern corporate business world concept. Even the US government doesn’t allow trade union activities in many of its states.
Even so, Bangladesh government and the business leaders of this sector shouldn’t ignore the findings of US senate committee. Corrective measures must be taken fast if there is any mistake.
