With the aim of exploring priority areas towards turning Bangladeshi readymade garment into a sustainable sector, Dhaka Apparel Summit-2017 would begin today (Saturday) morning, reports BSS. The summit will feature discussions about how to establish a more sustainable apparel supply chain as well as also focus to set the next course of action plan on achieving US$ 50 billion export goal by 2021. As a sequel to the success of the first Dhaka Apparel Summit (DAS) held in 2014, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is organizing the second edition of DAS with the theme “Together for a better tomorrow”. Talking to the news agency, BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said basically they are creating a platform to find out ways of coping with the upcoming challenges for the better future of country’s apparel sector. “In the summit, our stakeholders would share their opinion and fix up priority areas for ensuring sustainable growth of country’s apparel sector,” he added. Mentioning that following massive transformation of workplace safety in RMG sector, Rahman said: “We are ready to explore future possibilities amongst the opportunities and challenges facing us.” Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to inaugurate the day-long largest expo on the US$ 28 billion apparel industry at Hotel Pan Pacific Sonargoan in the capital. The summit will also showcase the progress of initiatives taken to improve the safety standard and condition of the workers in the RMG sector following the factory disaster in 2013. There would be three main sessions in the summit. The first session titled “Business Policy and Environment: Towards a Better Bangladesh” while the second session titled “Collaborative and Responsible Souring for Sustainable Growth” and third session is concentrated on “Bangladesh Apparel Industry: Transformation and the road Ahead”. The event will be attended by representatives from buyers, brands, university scholars and workers’ representatives who would also find out the priority areas to the achievement of $50 billion export target. The day-long summit would have nine interactive sessions where over 85 speakers from home and abroad would participate. In addition, top representatives of over 25 brands and over 15 globally renowned academics would also attend in the DAS. Nearly four thousand people have registered themselves to participate in the DAS. Earlier on Thursday, State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque (Chunnu) has said, no NGOs would be allowed to open office in Ashulia and other readymade garment industry areas. The decision to drive out the NGOs along with unregistered trade unions and workers’ organisations from these areas was taken at a meeting with the owners and workers’ leaders of RMG factories, Chunnu told the media after the meeting at the Secretariat on Thursday. “Many unregistered trade federations, NGOs have set up offices centring the garment factories in Ashulia and Gazipur, despite having no job here, to mislead the workers in various ways,” he said. “We have reached a consensus that such unregistered trade unions, federations and NGOs cannot have any office in Ashulia and other RMG industry areas,” he added. He also said the government does have any objection to the registered trade unions and the organisations having offices there. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) blamed NGOs for instigating the workers’ unrest in Ashulia last year. The state minister, too, said the unrest was ‘premeditated’. “That situation created a gap between the government and the workers’ leaders. We have hold discussions to close the gap and avoid any damaging situation in the RMG sector. Now we, the workers, owners and the government, have reached a consensus,” he said. Following the unrest, several workers’ leaders were arrested. The minister said ‘some’ of them could still be in jail, but will be freed ‘very soon’. IndustriAll Bangladesh Council Chairman Amirul Haque Amin said the number of such workers’ leaders is four to five. BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman said the owners also do not want any innocent worker or leader behind bars. Chunnu said the owners also agreed to reinstate suspended workers, who are willing to return to their factories. Siddiqur said 1,500 workers were suspended over the unrest over a pay rise demand in December last year. Dozens of factories were closed due to the unrest.
