Two global buyers’ platforms cut business relations with 28 more readymade garment factories in Bangladesh in last two months (July-August) due to the units’ failure in implementing workplace safety measures.With the 28, the total number of RMG factories with which global buyers cut business relations reached 344. Of them, European buyers’ platform Accord on Fire and Building safety in Bangladesh terminated business ties with 171 factories, while North American buyers’ platform Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety cut relations with 173 factories.In July-August, Accord severed business relations with 23 RMG factories, while Alliance suspended five factories from its supplier list.The factories that faced Accord suspension are: Super Knitting & Dying Mills Ltd, Greenland Apparels Ltd, Epshita Garments Ltd, Super Synthetics, Super Thread Ltd, Visual Eco Style Wear Ltd, SB Knitex Ltd, Pinnacle Garments, Piran Garments (Pvt) Ltd, Minar Industries (Pvt) Ltd, Mintex Fashion Ltd, New Labour Hosiery & Garments Ltd, Minar Textiles Ltd, Zarjis Composite Knit Industries (Pvt) Ltd, MS Dyeing, Printing & Finishing Ltd, Navy Fashion, Navy Hosiery, Comfort Apparels Ltd, Comfort Knit Fashion Ltd, Salma Fashion Wears Ltd, Portland Textile Ltd, SM Knit Wear and Texstream Fashion Ltd.The RMG units that faced Alliance axe are: Turag Garments & Hosiery Mills Ltd, Combined Apparels Ltd, Green Fair Textile Ltd, P&G Textile Ltd and Creative Wool Wear Ltd.Accord said in a statement that it terminated business relations with 22 factories due to their failure in implementing workplace safety measures while cut business ties with another factory due to its failure in submitting corrective action plan to the platform.According to an Alliance statement, the platform suspended five RMG factories from its supplier list in the month of August as the units failed to implement workplace safety measures as per their respective corrective action plans.Following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 24, 2013, that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, EU retailers formed the Accord to improve workplace safety in Bangladesh.According to the Accord’s statistics, the initiative has so far inspected more than 1,600 factories and completed over 84 per cent of remediation works in the units.Just after the formation of Accord in 2013, 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.The Alliance has so far inspected more than 700 factories and completed more than 90 per cent of remediation works at the factories.A national body is supposed to take over the responsibilities of Accord and Alliance in December this year as the tenure of the two platforms will end in November, 2018.
