Bangladesh, global unions and international brands have agreed on conditions to prepare for the handover of the responsibility of the Accord to a national regulatory body, said the global union federation IndustriALL yesterday.IndustriALL announced the development following a high-level meeting in Dhaka between the IndustriALL, the Uni Global Union, brand representatives and the leaders of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was set up in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse in 2013 and is valid until May 2018.The IndustriALL and the Uni Global Union met with the leaders of the BGMEA in Dhaka on Thursday and agreed on a set of conditions to transfer the responsibility of the Accord to a national regulatory committee.The conditions include provisions on transparency, enforcement, capacity and confidential complaint mechanisms, said the IndustriALL in a statement.In a further meeting with Bangladesh’s commerce and labour ministers, it was agreed that the Accord will be granted an extension to operate beyond May 2018 if the planned national regulatory body does not become ready to take over the charge.The extension after the May 2018 deadline will initially be for six months.A joint committee comprising brands, global unions, the BGMEA, the International Labour Organisation and the government will continue to monitor the readiness of the government programme to take over the responsibility from the Accord. Further reviews will continue on a six-month basis.Once the conditions are met, there will be a further handover period for six months.Jenny Holdcroft, assistant general secretary of the IndustriALL, said the Accord had remedied thousands of safety issues for workers in Bangladesh’s garment industry and was instrumental in protecting workers.“It has also created a model that can be adopted by a national regulatory body to ensure compliance with safety standards into the future.”Holdcroft said building capacity to meet the conditions for a handover of Accord functions was vital. “We will continue to work with the Accord to support the Bangladesh government in this task and ensure that the requirements are met for a safe and sustainable garment industry.”Christy Hoffman, deputy general secretary of the Uni Global Union, said the goal of the Accord had always been to transition to a credible regulatory regime by the Bangladeshi government.“The talks with the government show that it recognises the importance of a safe readymade garment industry, and we will continue to work with regulators to help enhance their capacity.”“We have an agreement that the 2018 Accord will operate until the Bangladeshi government is prepared to take over the responsibilities, as measured by agreed criteria. We will review progress every six months,” Hoffman said in the statement.
