Since the safety concerns are identified, my prime task will be to manage low cost fund for the factory owners to complete remediation works to turn the RMG sector full-fledged compliant, said the BGMEA new leadership, Siddiqur Rahman, who is taking the charge today. Dhaka Tribune (DT): As a BGMEA president, what will be your prime task to ensure safety and compliance in the RMG sector? Siddiqur: Problems regarding workers safety have been identified by the retailers platforms, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, and Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. My priority will be to ensure low-cost fund for completion of remediation works to make the sector safe for workers.
DT: How do you help the sector people to relocate factories from shared building and capital?
Siddiqur: The safety inspections by the Accord and Alliance resulted in closure of some factories, which need relocation. The factory owners are not getting approval of new buildings to establish RMG factory in Detailed Area Plan as it is too wide. While the government is calling for relocation of RMG units from capital. On the other hand, the global buyers warned that they will not place orders in shared building after 2018. To ensure relocation for making the sector compliant, with all my efforts, I will try to get the approval of plan to establish RMG factories as it is my responsibility. Implementation of Bausia Garment Palli will be the ultimate goal to shape the RMG industry in a modern and compliant manner.
DT: What would be your duty to protect workers rights?
Siddiqur: Bangladesh is an ILO-ratified country. If a factory owner runs the factory as per the rules and ensure all workers’ rights, I think, there is no need to form trade union forcibly by outsiders as it is a matter of independence. But if the workers think, their rights are not established, they can form trade union to bargain as per the laws and it is welcomed.
DT: What should the sector people do to increase prices of products and how the BGMEA can help them?
Siddiqur: RMG manufacturers have to have industrial engineering and production engineering team to make high-end products to reduce production cost. If these are ensured, production cost will reduce and ultimately the prices will increase. As a trade body leader, the BGMEA board will put pressure on buyers on ethical sourcing, asking fair prices for clothing products.
DT: How will BGMEA help increase productivity?
Siddiqur: Skilled manpower is the key component of productivity. The BGMEA has introduced Center of Excellence for Bangladesh Apparel Industry (CEBAI) to improve productivity through research and development. If the sector people use state-of-the machinery, information technology and have a human resource management trained team, the productivity will increase automatically.
DT: How will you draw buyers to source products from Bangladesh?
Siddiqur: In the first quarter of the year, we have witnessed violent political unrest. Two things, political unrest and Rana Plaza building collapse tarnished the country’s image, which cast a negative impact on sourcing.
If there is no political unrest and the manufacturers can provide high-end and quality products, the buyers will source more from Bangladesh as we are doing all necessary tasks to ensure workers’ safety.
