The government will launch workers’ database for the apparel sector today in line with a condition set by the US authorities for the reinstatement of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility.
State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu will formally open the database at his office.
Name and number of workers and factory locations will be included first in the database and then other things like information on workers’ rights and safety will be entered gradually, said Labour and Employment Secretary Mikail Shipar.
He said information on a total of 3,498 factories would be placed in the data base. The information were collected by the government’s Department of Inspection of Factories and Establishment.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has been opposing the step to make data public as, according to it, may create misunderstandings about the factories and thus affect their business.
But Mikail Shipar said the government had formed a sub-committee which would recommend on what and how much data should be published.
The labour and employment ministry in cooperation with International Labour Organisation (ILO) is preparing the database.
The launch of workers’ database is under the “Improving Working Condition in RMG Sector in Bangladesh” project.
The publicly accessible database is one of the key requirements outlined by the US government for the restoration of GSP.
On June 27, last year the US government suspended GSP facilities for Bangladesh citing that it’s has not been able to show improvement in workers’ rights to employees in the RMG sector.
After the suspension, the US government set an Action Plan to restore GSP facility, where it demanded publicly accessible workers’ database.