Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Apparel exporters on Wednesday said that they would not renew agreement with Accord on Fire and Building Safety further after expiry of their current tenure.
“We will not renew agreement with Accord, as factory remediation work will be completed within their current tenure in June 2018,” Siddiqur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President told The New Nation yesterday.
He said, the BGMEA has cleared its stance in this regard at a meeting with the representatives of Accord held at the BGMEA headquarters on Monday.
“We don’t need the Accord and Alliance anymore. Local garment factories covered under the binding agreements have already made significant progress in safety remediation. The whole task will be completed under their current tenure. Then we will take our responsibility,” said Rahman.
Accord and Alliance are legally binding agreements signed by a total of 228 foreign retailers in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 to fix the electrical, fire and structural faults in the garment factories from which they source.
The tenures of Accord, a platform of 200 Europe-based retailers, and Alliance, another platform of 28 North American retailers, will come to an end in June 2018.
“After their departure, we will form a committee, comprising representatives from organisations such as the BGMEA, the BKMEA, the ILO, brands, trade unions and the commerce and labour ministries, to supervise the progress of the factory remediation process as well as enforce safety compliance in factories,” Ramhan said.
He, however, said that apparel manufacturers did a lot to improve factory safety in Bangladesh after rigorous inspection by Accord and Alliance.
Accord and Alliance have been working in Bangladesh to strengthen workplace safety in the garment sector through remediation of fire, electrical and structural loopholes.
According to a global survey, Bangladesh will remain the apparel sourcing hotspot for international retailers and brands over the next five years because of competitive prices and China’s declining market share in garment business.
Apparel exporters on Wednesday said that they would not renew agreement with Accord on Fire and Building Safety further after expiry of their current tenure.
“We will not renew agreement with Accord, as factory remediation work will be completed within their current tenure in June 2018,” Siddiqur Rahman, President of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President told The New Nation yesterday.
He said, the BGMEA has cleared its stance in this regard at a meeting with the representatives of Accord held at the BGMEA headquarters on Monday.
“We don’t need the Accord and Alliance anymore. Local garment factories covered under the binding agreements have already made significant progress in safety remediation. The whole task will be completed under their current tenure. Then we will take our responsibility,” said Rahman.
Accord and Alliance are legally binding agreements signed by a total of 228 foreign retailers in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 to fix the electrical, fire and structural faults in the garment factories from which they source.
The tenures of Accord, a platform of 200 Europe-based retailers, and Alliance, another platform of 28 North American retailers, will come to an end in June 2018.
“After their departure, we will form a committee, comprising representatives from organisations such as the BGMEA, the BKMEA, the ILO, brands, trade unions and the commerce and labour ministries, to supervise the progress of the factory remediation process as well as enforce safety compliance in factories,” Ramhan said.
He, however, said that apparel manufacturers did a lot to improve factory safety in Bangladesh after rigorous inspection by Accord and Alliance.
Accord and Alliance have been working in Bangladesh to strengthen workplace safety in the garment sector through remediation of fire, electrical and structural loopholes.
According to a global survey, Bangladesh will remain the apparel sourcing hotspot for international retailers and brands over the next five years because of competitive prices and China’s declining market share in garment business.
