Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has chalked out a series of programmes to observe the first anniversary of Rana Plaza collapse that killed over 1,135 workers and injured at least 2,500 on April 24 last year.
The programmes include bringing out a mourning procession, hosting black flags at all factories, special prayers seeking eternal peace of the departed souls of the workers and recitation from the holy Quran.
The main special prayer to be conducted by Moulana Mohammad Salah Uddin, Imam of the national mosque, will be held at 12:1 pm at BGMEA headquarters and also at all the RMG factories across the country at the same time on April 24.
Addressing a press conference at his office in the city, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam yesterday formally announced the programmes.
Announcing the programme, Atiqul Islam also urged the global retailers not to pull out any more orders from the shared building factories as it would cut huge jobs leaving the workers in misery.
“It is nothing but inhuman to pull out orders from shared building, from which you are sourcing products for the last 20 years,” said Islam.
According the BGMEA, over 30% factories are housed in shared building, where 1.5m workers are employed, most of them are women.
Islam said: Since the Rana Plaza disaster, the BGMEA and factory owners has done lots of improvement to ensure workers safety and security and increased wages but the buyers did not increase prices of products. He also said the BGMEA was working hard to make the industry sustainable and to avert any further factory disaster for ensuring safe work place for the ready-made garment workers and the buyers should come up with realistic and effective measures for the betterment of the workers.
“The government amended labour law, increased wages, appointed factory inspectors after the Rana Plaza incident to ensure safety and improve working environment, said Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar.
In his written speech, BGMEA president said: The BGMEA had spent Tk14.50 crore for the treatment of workers, rescue operations and to pay wages. It also contributed TK2 crore to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund.