Trade lobbyist BGMEA has started examining the western retailers’ allegation over slow progress in improving work safety to help struggling factories fix problems, insiders said. Las week, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) sent a form to its member factories and asked them to respond with required information to it shortly. The prescribed form includes information about inspection details, timeframe for remediation, number of fire, electrical and structural recommendations and state of the progress, they said. Industry insiders said the move is part of preparation for this month’s Sustainability Compact meeting, where the trade group may face questions from the representatives of the EU, the US and other donor countries. The move came following the allegation made by Accord and Alliance that progress in majority of the inspected factories is slow, while a good number of factories are still behind the schedule. “One of the main purposes is to review the present remediation status of the inspected factories and how to speed up the remaining task,” Mahmud Hasan Khan, vice president of BGMEA, told the FE Thursday. The step will also help identify whether the allegation made by Accord and Alliance is true or not, he said. “If yes, why have the member units failed to comply with the required safety compliance and how can we help them in remedial work?” he asked. So far, the association has got feedback from 46 members, he said, adding they would form some groups to communicate with each of its member factories and pursue them to assist the BGMEA’s initiative. Out of the 46 units, the progress of 18 factories is either 80 per cent or more, while another that of 21 factories ranged between 50 and 79 per cent. The progress in the rest seven is below 50 per cent. Two out of 46 units claimed that they addressed all the observations made by the buyers’ group. “We will sit with the factories to discuss their status and the reasons of their slow progress. We will also find out a way how to help them,” Mr Khan added. The Accord, a platform of EU-based more than 200 global apparel brands, retailers and trade unions, inspected some 1,600 factories, while the North American buyers’ group Alliance assessed a total of 661 garment factories. Both the groups on different occasions alleged that remediation in majority of the inspected factories is progressing slowly. They, however, assigned reasons such as non-availability of safety equipment within the country and shortage of expertise to fix the problems for the delay, industry insiders said. The groups agreed though some firms have valid reasons for the delay, most of them were given sufficient time. But a good number of the owners are reluctant to do the required remedial work, despite repeated reminders.
