Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) gave its nod on Monday to establishment of a Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC) to oversee the post-inspection safety activities in the country’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector. The approval was given at a meeting at MoLE, meeting sources said, adding that Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) earlier put forwarded a proposal in this regard. State minister for labour Mujibul Hoque presided over the meeting. Principal secretary to Prime Minister’s Office Abul Kalam Azad, labour secretary Mikail Shipar, DIFE inspector general (IG) Syed Ahmed, Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) chairman Bajlul Karim Chowdhury, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate director general Ali Ahmed Khan, among others, were present in it. The DIFE IG will head the proposed cell, while representatives from Power Division, Fire Service and Civil Defence, RAJUK and Chittagong Development Authority will be its members. The move came, as several international forums raised questions over capacity of the government authorities, responsible for ensuring workplace safety in RMG sector, they added. Foreign diplomats, including those of the US, the UK, the European Union, Canada and the Netherlands, held a meeting last month with senior Bangladeshi government officials concerned. In the meeting the diplomats expressed their dissatisfaction over insignificant progress in remediation process of the RMG factories, inspected under a joint initiative of the government and International Labour Organisation (ILO). They wanted to know the progress on setting up the promised RCC, which could bear the responsibility for ensuring factory safety once the timeframe of western retailers’ two platforms – Accord and Alliance – ends. At the meeting, the government officials promised to establish the cell by this December with the assistance of ILO. The MoLE officials said primarily the government and ILO have estimated a budget of $6.0 million for RCC, and the initiative will be implemented under an extended ILO programme ‘Improved Working Condition in the RMG Sector’. Main objectives of RCC are to enhance capacity of DIFE and take over responsibility of the two groups after 2018. Besides, RCC will also provide technical assistance to factory owners, assist them in approving corrective action plan of the factories that have been inspected under the national initiative, monitor implementation of CAP, facilitate knowledge sharing, and also award certificates after successful implementation of remedial works, they added.
