Twenty-six more readymade garment factories which make products for North American retailers and buyers completed full safety remediation in July.With the progress, the total number of remediated factories affiliated with the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, a platform of North American buyers and retailers, reached 118, the platform said in a statement.The platform hoped that all the material components outlined in their corrective action plans would be completed in the Alliance-affiliated factories by July, 2018, the timeframe of Alliance.July’s success reinforced the confidence to the platform that Alliance factories would have substantially completed remediation and be well on the way to developing a sustainable culture of safety before the Alliance sunsets in 2018, said Jim Moriarty, country director of the Alliance.‘We commend these factories for prioritising remediation and in doing so, demonstrating that every garment worker has a right to a safe workplace,’ he said.The factories which completed remediation in July are: Ananta Casualwear Ltd, Adhunik Poshak Shilpa Ltd, Alamode Apparels, Alliance Knit Composite Ltd, Aswad Composite Mills Ltd, Ayesha Clothing Company Ltd ( Printing Unit), Crazy Fashion, Divine Design Ltd, Esses Fashions Limited, Evince Garments Ltd, International Knitwear & Apparels Ltd (Unit 1), Kazipur Fashion Ltd (Unit 1), Matrix Sweaters Ltd, New Dacca Industries Ltd, Odessa Fashion Ltd, Opex Washing Plant Ltd, Parkway Packaging & Printing Ltd, Rio Fashion Wear Limited, Rising Knit Textiles Ltd (Washing Division), Salek Textile Ltd (RMG Unit), Shams Styling Wears Ltd, Thanbee Print World Ltd, That’s It Garments Ltd, Tip Top Fashions Ltd, Voyager Apparels Ltd and Wear Mag.The Alliance, however, suspended one more factories from its list in the month due to failure in making adequate remediation progress.With the latest suspension of Tianye (BD) Camping Tent Co Ltd at Ishwardi in Pabna, the total number of suspended factories stood at 157.After the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 24, 2013, that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garments workers, North American retailers including Walmart and Gap formed the Alliance undertaking a five-year plan, which set timeframes and accountability for inspections and training and workers empowerment programmes.At the same time, EU retailers formed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety to improve factory safety in Bangladesh.As many as 80 Accord-listed factories have so far completed all the remediation work while the platform cut business relations with 79 factories due to their failure in complying with safety requirements.
