A visiting Accord delegation has started reviewing its ongoing safety related activities and the possible extension for three additional years, persons familiar with the situation said. The delegation comprising representatives from global apparel brands including H&M, and rights groups would sit with the government and other partners on October 19 to discuss the tenure expansion issue, they said. As part of the consultation, the delegation on Monday held meeting with the leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) at its head office in Dhaka. “We discussed the long-pending issues related to ongoing safety activities including termination of all factories of a group due to the non-compliance in a single unit, certification after completing initial CAP (corrective action plan),” Md Siddiqur Rahman, president of the BGMEA told reporters. Karl Gunnar Fagerlin, senior advisor at H&M, Edward David Southall, chief human resources officer at LC Waikiki, Jenny Holdcroft, assistant general secretary at IndustriAll Global Union, Scott Nova executive director at Worker Rights Consortium and Rob Wayss, Accord executive director were also present in the meeting. Asked about the possible extension of Accord, the BGMEA president said the delegation did not discuss the issue in Monday’s meeting and it would be decided after discussion with all stakeholders whether extension is needed or not. The visiting Steering Committee (SC) will sit with the stakeholders on October 19 in this regard, he added. “If remediation is completed within the tenure, there is no need for extension,” the BGMEA president said adding that fresh talks must be launched if such extension is needed. Besides, the committee has agreed that the Accord would not terminate business relations with all the factories of a group due to the non-compliance in a single unit provided the group shuts its faulty factory, he added. Until today, Accord has announced termination of business relation with some 40 garment factories of 11 groups due to the non-compliance in one unit of each group. The BGMEA requested the committee to issue certificate to a factory once it completed the CAP provided after the initial inspection. The additional CAP would be completed gradually by the factories, said the BGMEA chief. He said the Accord team had assured of taking the issue into consideration. The meeting also discussed issues related to detailed engineering assessment and re-activation process of remediation within three months after Accord announced termination, according to people who attended the meeting.
