Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has signed a collaboration agreement with the UK-based consultant firm Impactt to enhance productivity in the country’s RMG sector.
BGMEA vice-president (finance) Reaz Bin Mahmood and Impactt Bangladesh Chairman Rosy Hurst signed the agreement on their respective sides in Dhaka yesterday.
“The aim of the agreement is to enhance capability of the entrepreneurs so they can meet the imminent challenges relating to prices and wages as well as workers safety issues,” said Rosy Hurst, chairman of Impactt – a firm Specialised in ethical trade, human rights, labour standards and international development.
She said they would also work in the wide range of areas like programmes for the workers to improve their skills, enhance their capability and efficiency, and to make them loyal to rules and regulation of their respective factories.
“Partnership with the BGMEA is very important for this potential sector as the support from us would help enable a more competitive industry to provide better jobs for its workers,’’ she said.
“Productivity is an opportunity to bridge the gap between our problems and potentials. To make better use of that opportunity, sharing knowledge and capability enhancement through collaboration is the only way to do so,’’ said Reaz Bin Mahmood.
Replying to a query on the implementation of new wage, BGMEA President Atiqul Islam categorically said, “We don’t have any accurate data about how many factories have so far implemented the new wage structure”.
He, however, said the buyers did not increase the prices of RMG products as yet. Instead, they have threatened us to leave the country, blaming the political unrest.
Impactt and BGMEA will build partnership with other stakeholders to roll out the successful Benefits for Business and Workers (BBW) programme, which has already improved efficiency and quality and also ensured better jobs for workers in 45 factories in Bangladesh.
The collaboration will support rolling out of the ongoing programme to 200 more garment factories in Dhaka and Chittagong by December 2015.
To get the benefits from the programmes, a RMG factory has to pay Tk3.80 lakh as the programme will be run with the funds from UK Aids, buyers, DIFD and factory owners.
The BBW Programme involves a consortium of retailers, including C&A, Debenham, K-Mart of Australia, M&Co, Primark, Target of Australia, Tesco and Tau Investment Management with matched funding from UK Aids new Trade and Global Value Chains Initiative.