Expressing concern over the slow progress in forming safety and participation committees in garment factories and remediation coordination cell, foreign diplomats Thursday called for immediate steps from stakeholders. Five diplomats also voiced their worries over high rejection rate of trade union applications seeking registration in the readymade garment sector. The concerns were raised at a meeting held at the commerce ministry, where five diplomats from the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, Canada and the Netherlands sat with secretaries of commerce, labour and foreign affairs to discuss the progress made in the RMG sector. Officials from different government agencies, and the ILO took part in the meeting. Welcoming the steps already taken to ensure workers’ rights, Alison Blake, British High Commissioner to Bangladesh, told reporters, “…but more still needs to be done. Workers need to feel safe enough to raise concerns without fear of negative consequences.” It is the responsibility of all partners to do all they can to ensure more progress in workers’ rights, including in economic zones, she added. All factories need to implement their corrective action plans and invest in making their factories safer, she said, adding it is crucial to ensure that the progress does not lose momentum and that progress continues to be made. “It is everyone’s priority that factory improvements move ahead efficiently and that there are consequences for factories that do not take the required steps. Otherwise, the whole industry will suffer,” she noted. “The meeting discussed issues, among others, like unfair labour practices, rate of trade union registration, formation of safety and participation committees in garment factories,” Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar told the FE after the meeting. They expressed concern as safety and participation committees are yet to be formed in all the garment factories, he noted. The law amended in 2013 says any factory that employs 50 workers or above must form a safety committee, which would work according to the rules. On the other hand, according to the Rules published in September 2015, the existing factories have to form such committees within six months from the date of the rules that come into effect. They also pressed for speedy formation of the remediation coordination cell (RCC) to monitor and continue the safety initiatives, especially after 2018 when the tenure of western retailers’ platforms would expire. “We have explained the progress so far made and assured that the RCC will be formed by December next,” he said.
