Two separate platforms of the western buyers and retailers have recently cut business relations with four more readymade garment factories on charge of their failure in implementing workplace safety measures. Out of the four factories, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, the consortium of North American Buyers, suspended three from its suppliers’ list. The factories are: Ashiana Garments Ind Ltd and Lovecraft Garments (Pvt) Ltd of the Dhaka city, and Super Knitting & Dyeing Mills Ltd in Chittagong. On the other hand, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, the platform of the EU retailers, cut business relations with Prominent Apparels at Badda in the Dhaka city. The Alliance said that the approvals of Ashiana Garments and Lovecraft Garments had been suspended due to their failure in complying with the government-set review panel’s recommendations while the approval of Super Knitting had been suspended as its authorities failed to respond to holding of a corrective action plan approval meeting and roundtable invitations. Earlier, the Alliance suspended business relations with 23 Bangladeshi readymade garment factories considering these risky for the workers’ safety as the units failed to complete remediation and other safety requirements. The EU retailers’ group said in a recent statement that the signatory companies terminated business relations with Prominent Apparels as per the Article 21 of the Accord as despite being served notice and warned the factory owner continued to refuse to cooperate in the Accord remediation programme. Following the inspection for fire, electrical and structural safety in the factory by the Accord in 2014 the factory authorities failed to submit a Detailed Engineering Assessment and make any remediation progress. Earlier, the EU retailers terminated business relations with eight factories as they failed to implement workplace safety measures in their units. Following Rana Plaza building collapse on April 24, 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, Western retailers and apparel brands, in response to public outrage, began a major push to improve safety in the Bangladeshi factories linked with their business. The EU brands and retailers including H&M, Carrefour and Mango, as well as 14 American companies formed Accord and the initiatives completed safety inspections in more than 2,000 garment factories from where they procured products.
