The RMG workers’ leaders yesterday came down heavily on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh as it is yet to provide any compensation fund for the jobless workers during factory closures or suspension for remediation work.
Expressing their grave concern over the factory closures, which resulted in several thousand of workers jobless, the leaders also urged the Alliance officials to increase the workers’ compensation from the the existing two months to six months.
However, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety organised the meeting at its office in the city to share the progress report on the factory inspection.
The meeting, which aims at discussing about the possible paths for including the trade unions leaders in factory inspection, in workers training programme, in awareness building programmes for workers safety measures and also in maintaining the helpline.
The meeting also discussed on how to involve workers’ leaders in the remediation process and follow-ups and also to engage them in the decision making process of next course of action.
Accord is not paying the salaries to the jobless workers during factory closures for remediation work although it is shutting down factories one after another in the name of safety and security, Sirajul Islam Rony, President, Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League (BNGWEL) told the meeting.
“As around 10,000 workers have already become jobless since the inspection started, we will go for launching tougher movement if the Accord failed to pay the compensation for the jobless workers,” he warned.
The Alliance has so far inspected 508 or 80% factories out of 626, which is 8% of the total factories and found only five factories vulnerable. Only one factory has been closed as per the decision of the review panel in line with the findings of the Alliance, said M Rabin, managing director of Alliance.
“Out of these inspections, 5 facorties have been referred to the National Tripartite Committee Review Panel for its opnions and one was closed down while all of its workers were transferred to the same owner’s factory in the adjacent building,” said Rabin.
The Alliance has completed its preparation to launch help line in the factories and it would launch a pilot project involving 50 factories in the first phase.
“It takes both time and money for improving the overall safety in the factories and we are committed to improving safety and security as we don’t want to see any more factory shutting down,” said Ian Spaulding, an advisor to the Alliance board.
The brand will pay soft loans for the remediation of the factories identified as vulnerable and needs remediation. Around four to five brands have already agreed to pay the loan and the interest rate may vary from 4% to 5%, he added.
“We want both the inspection and the improvement of safety standard simultaneously while it should not be done just making the workers jobless, said Advocate Delwar Hossain Khan, General Secretary, Bangladesh Labor Federation (BLF).
He also urged the Alliance to increase compensation to six month from exiting two months.
Naimul Ahsan Jewel, general secretary of Jatio Sramik Jote, Bangladesh (JSJB) demanded the job security of the RMG workers and alternative jobs for the workers, who have became unemployed due to the factory closures.