The cabinet committee on readymade garments sits tomorrow to set strategy in streamlining the country’s apparel industry, which is suffering from an image crisis following the Savar tragedy that left at least 660 workers killed.
The 11-member committee usually sits once a month to discuss problems and difficulties face by the industry, accounting for more than 80% of the country’s total exports.
“The meeting has been convened on May 8 to find out solutions to the problems and difficulties the industry is now facing,” labour and employment minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju, who is also the committee chairman, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
“We failed to call the meeting immediately after the Savar tragedy as most members remained busy to deal with the victims of the tragedy,” he said. “We’re serious about the issue. The meeting will put forward some recommendations based on reports submitted by different organisations to develop the industry.”
Different public and private organisations, including Army, Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh Fire Service and Civil Defence, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, and Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association, are expected to submit their reports on the Savar incident at the meeting.
Issues to amendment the labour laws would also come up for discussion at the meeting, said the minister.
On April 22, the cabinet approved in principle a proposal to amend the labour law to allow RMG workers of enjoying their rights to trade union. Currently, the RMG workers can form unions only with prior permission from the owners.
Several policies regarding the safety and welfare of the RMG workers and their safety in the factories would be kept in the law, officials said.
The proposed policies include a provision of one month gratuity for a worker if he or she works in a factory for less than 15 years and keeping factory exit paths open.
The proposals also include provision for forming workers’ welfare fund through enacting a separate policy for them.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had formed the 11-memebr cabinet committee, headed by minister for labour and employment in February this year to conduct a study on the latest situation of the country’s RMG industry. The last meeting of the committee was held on April 17.
