Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) said the new labour law is not enough to ensure the right to work, prevent harassment and discrimination despite several important provisions.
This comment was made in a statement sent to the media on the occasion of the Rana Plaza tragedy's 10th anniversary on Tuesday.
TIB also urged international brands and buyers of Bangladeshi ready-made garments (RMGs) to conduct business with integrity.
Ethical sourcing is key to sustainability, the statement said, adding that the persistent failure of relevant authorities to ensure workers' rights-sensitive governance poses one of the most formidable challenges to the sustainability of the industry.
Recalling the Rana Plaza collapse that took place on April 24, 2013, TIB said: "The Rana Plaza collapse resulted in the worst industrial disaster in history. More than 1,100 workers lost their lives. More than 2,500 workers were injured.”
“This tragedy was caused by poor and unsanitary structural and working conditions, inadequate safety standards, denial of labour rights, shortages, and violation of labour laws and regulations. The incident exposed a range of governance deficiencies including environmental sustainability standards in the country's garment industry. Following this devastating incident, national and international stakeholders joined hands to contribute to improving governance and safety standards in Bangladesh's garment sector," the statement added.
However, in the last 10 years, there has been some significant progress in this industry, especially in structural and fire safety. Now half of the world's top 100 green industrial units are in Bangladesh. Of the green factories that are operational, all but four are factories in the garment sector. However, virtually nothing has happened in the last 10 years to ensure accountability of those responsible for this tragedy.
Unreasonable price cuts, delivery delays, withholding of payments, cancellation of bookings and other unpredictable behaviour of international buyers have become normal since Covid-19.
Citing a recent study by the NYU Centre for Business and Human Rights, TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said such exploitative tools used by brands and buying houses lead to unhealthy competition among producers. The ultimate burden of such practices falls on the workers.
Iftekharuzzaman said: "Although the issue of revising the wages of garment workers has been a long-standing demand, there has been no progress yet. Furthermore, the minimum wage in Bangladesh is lower than that of other garment-exporting countries in the region. For which exploitative practices of brands and consumer organizations cannot escape responsibility. He urged international buyers to refrain from such practices."
The TIB also called on the government to reform labour laws, review workers' minimum wages in line with the cost of living, workers' trade unions and not put obstacles in the way of workers' rights.
