A Remediation Coordination Cell was launched in the capital on Sunday, aiming to ensure workplace safety in the country’s garment sector.The RCC will focus on managing the remediation process for garment factories under the government’s national initiative, an ILO press release said.State minister for labour and employment Md Mujibul Haque, labour secretary Mikail Shipar, Canadian high commissioner in Dhaka Benoît-Pierre Laramée, Netherlands ambassador in Dhaka Leoni Margaretha Cuelenaere and ILO country director for Bangladesh Srinivas Reddy were, among others, present on the occasion.The new unit will be staffed and supported by the members of regulatory bodies, including the Department of Inspections for Factories and Establishments, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Rajuk, Chief Electrical Inspector and Public Works Department.They will be supported by private sector engineers hired to provide technical expertise for remediation follow up. The RCC is supported by the International Labour Organisation with funding from Canada, the Netherlands and United Kingdom.Speaking on the occasion, Md Mujibul Haque said the government of Bangladesh is fully committed to ensuring the safety of the garment industry and all who work in it.‘The remediation of all garment factories must be completed as quickly as possible and the Remediation Coordination Cell will make a major contribution to this goal,’ he added.Initially, the RCC will work with 1,293 factories. However, this number will change as new factories are established and enter the National Initiative. In addition to overseeing the remediation process, the RCC will contribute to build the capacity of regulators as well as further collaboration between them.Srinivas Reddy said,’ The operation of the Remediation Coordination Cell marks a major step towards improving workplace safety in the Bangladesh garment sector. It is a concrete manifestation of efforts to institutionalise safety reforms which will ultimately benefit all sectors.’
