Bangladesh govt seeks written action plan of EU Accord

01 Aug '13

2 min read

The Government of Bangladesh has urged the visiting delegation of European Union Accord to present their plan of action in writing for the safety and welfare of garment workers.

After a meeting with the four-member team comprising of Monika Kemperle of IndustriALL, Aleix Gonzalez of Inditex, Philip Chamberlain of C&A, and Christy Hoffman of UNI, Bangladesh Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar said they have asked for a written work plan from the European Union Accord as the organization intends to set up an office in Dhaka.

The EU Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has about 80 retailers who source apparels from around 1,600 garment factories in Bangladesh.

Mr. Shipar said Bangladesh has its own nation action plan for increasing workplace safety in garment factories. In addition, some international organizations and the US have also expressed their intention to contribute for workplace safety of garment workers, he added.

The EU Accord was signed after the April 24 Rana Plaza building collapse that resulted in the death of over 1,100 workers.

The US apparel retailers, however, did not join the accord, and 17 retailers from the US and Canada formed a separate plan of action for the safety of workers in Bangladesh clothing factories.

However, a day earlier, the visiting team of EU accord agreed to work together with the North American buyers under a ‘unified code of conduct’ for ensuring workplace safety and sustainable garment industry in Bangladesh.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

More Apparel/Garments News - Bangladesh...