Economic Reporter :
Sammilita Parishad, a panel contesting the election of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has made a number of promises with priority to increase locally made garment exports and its market share in the global market.
Diversifying both market and the readymade garment (RMG) items and branding the image of the industry will also be their top agenda.
The panel as part of its election manifesto also announced that it would propose the RMG stakeholders including government and workers’ representatives to consider the necessity of setting up new wage board to review RMG workers’ minimum monthly wages after every five years saying a 5.0 per cent annual increment has been effective since 2013.
Sammilita Parishad panel leader and Managing Director of Giant Group Faruque Hassan announced their election manifesto at a press conference held at Pan Pacific Sonargaon Dhaka Hotel on Tuesday.
His other priority manifesto included getting the government’s policy supports and increasing the loan repayment duration from the existing 18 months and reducing the installment amount size.
Former presidents of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Abdus Salam Murshedy, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin and Siddiqur Rahman, among others, were present at the conference.
“The first priority of the panel would be recovering the readymade garment sector from the Covid-19 fallout as the export of the sector declined to $27 billion from $34 billion in the financial year 2019-20 due to the pandemic,” Hassan said.
Gaining more market share in the global market and diversifying both the market and the product will also be their propriety if the panel is elected at the BGMEA’s election for the period of 2021-23.
The BGMEA biennial election is scheduled to be held on April 4. Forum led by Hannan Group chairman ABM Shamsuddin is also contesting the election.
The Sammilita Parishad, if elected, would work with the government and European Union for retaining the Generalised System of Preference in the EU market up to 2031 even after the graduation of Bangladesh from least developed country.
In its manifesto, the panel leader also promised forming a taskforce with the government to ensure GSP plus facility for locally made apparel in the EU market and to include regular RMG items on the duty free product list of China.
It would take initiative to hire a lobbyist to get duty free market access for Bangladeshi made apparel to the USA market, he added.
“We will ensure transparency and accountability of RMG sustainability council and introduce unified code of conduct for social compliance in the factories,” Hassan promised.
Calling on BGMEA members to vote Sammilita Parishad, Mr Murshedy, claimed Parishad has been formed with mixture of experienced, talented and young generation who would be able to help the sector recover from the Covid-19 fallout.
He also urged their opponent panel in the elections not to make any baseless comment about Sammilita Parishad.
