Leaders of Buyers’ Forum have urged Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) to concentrate on remediation progress of those RMG factories which are not signatories of the two global retailers’ platforms-Accord and Alliance.
Buyers’ Forum, a platform for global apparel retailers came up with the call during a meeting with the BGMEA leaders at its head quarters in the capital yesterday. BGMEA President Siddiqur Rahman presided over the meeting.
“Though the Buyers’ Forum leaders expressed their satisfaction with the progress made by the factory owners under Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and Alliance for Bangladesh Workers’ Safety, they are worried over the remediation of rest of the RMG units,” according to a meeting source.
They have urged the leaders of BGMEA to concentrate more on the remediation of RMG units inspected by National Initiative, an initiative of Bangladesh government which is supported by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
“If any incident occurs in any factory, it will tarnish the image of the whole sector as well as the country. That is why, the sector people should concentrate on inspection and remediation beyond the preview of Accord and alliance inspection,” said a meeting source quoting the Buyers’ Forum leaders.
“We have urged the buyers representative to increase prices of the apparel products and to buy more products from Bangladesh as we have done a lot of progress in terms of workers’ safety,” BGMEA Vice President Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told the Dhaka Tribune.
He also said, “We have pointed out the progress of safety standards and sought time from them to complete the remediation process for ensuring workers safety.”
The Buyer’s Forum meeting is a regular meeting held in the first Monday of every month when all the related issues are discussed broadly.
There are 65 buyer offices in Bangladesh and their representatives negotiate their business issues.
