The garment and apparel factories in Bangladesh are among the safest in the world, United States Ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Bernicat said yesterday, warning, however, against any complacency. “Since 2013, with the help of Accord and Alliance, you have dramatically transformed your garment and apparel factories, making them among the safest in world,” she told a farewell lunch in her honour organised by the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).“I was here for much of this time and witnessed this transformation first-hand. I realise that this was a difficult and expensive process, but it will continue to pay off for years to come – if you don’t become complacent,” said the ambassador.“Now the challenge is completing remediation of the factories under the National Action Plan and maintaining all the progress you have made in the Alliance and Accord factories. I encourage you to draw on the expertise and experience that Alliance and Accord have to offer and to accept transitional arrangements – like the SMO (Safety Monitoring Organisation) – to keep your hard-earned progress on track until the RCC (Remediation Coordination Centre) is ready to assume full responsibility,” she said. The outgoing envoy appreciated the role of BGMEA in managing the engine of Bangladesh’s economy, helping to lift hundreds of thousands of workers out of poverty, and making Bangladesh a key player in global trade.She said, “I am thankful for the constructive discussions we have had during my tenure and the opportunity to take stock of the achievements and challenges we all face in our attempt to work together to ensure and enhance the prestige of the words, “Made in Bangladesh”. However, Bernicat said that the next big hurdle for BGMEA is the issue of worker rights the progress of which has lagged in recent years. “As I’ve emphasised many times, adhering to international labour standards is not just the right thing to do – it is the smart thing to do. I encourage you to make necessary and relevant legislative changes as soon as possible,” she said, adding, “There is no upside to dragging this out. Bringing your laws up to international standards – and implementing them – will improve Bangladesh’s international competitiveness and help it increase its market share in the worldwide garment industry.”“Continuing to delay action – especially as consumers pay increasingly more attention to these labour issues in their buying decisions – threatens to undermine the country’s good reputation and increases the risk that international buyers will begin to look elsewhere,” said the ambassador. “Bangladesh has come so far in the 47 years since liberation and has so much potential to achieve even more,” she said.BGMEA President M Siddiqur Rahman thanked the departing US ambassador for her constructive role in strengthening the Bangladesh-US relations and extending support for the development of Bangladesh RMG industry.BGMEA Senior Vice President Faruque Hassan, Vice President (Finance) Mohammed Nasir and Directors M Shahidul Haque Mukul, MA Rahim (Feroz), M Ashikur Rahman (Tuhin), Mizanur Rahman Chowdhury, M Munir Hossain, M Atiqul Karim Khan, M Rezwan Selim and M Shaif Ullah were also present at the programme.
