A platform consisting of the government, civil society and the private sector is badly needed to ensure sustainable development of the readymade garment sector, Peter Eigen, founder chairman of Transparency International (TI), yesterday said.
Eigen was speaking at the “Meet the Media” programme of the Garment Industries Transparency Initiative (GITI), organised by the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) at its office in the capital.
Terming the proposed platform “the magical triangle,” Eigen, who served as TI chairman from 1993 to 2005, said the platform brought together all of the related stakeholders – the government, civil society, buyers, manufacturers and labourers.
The government alone cannot ensure the proper and sustainable development of the sector, he said.
Around 4 million female workers are involved in the RMG sector which is considered Bangladesh’s highest export earner.
The collapse of Rana Plaza on April 24, 2012 killed over 1,135 workers and injured at least 2,500.
Calling the incident the result of poor governance, he said GITI had to be formed to avoid such disasters in future.
The TI has begun discussions among stakeholders to form GITI in Bangladesh.
Eigen said the proposed platform initially would be formed in Bangladesh and Myanmar by next year. Later Cambodia, Vietnam and other readymade garment manufacturing countries would be added to GITI.
Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, said the founder chairman had been in the country for the last four days to discuss the proposed platform with stakeholders.
Expressing the need for such bodies, he cited the example of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, formed for the mining industries in Africa and other mining countries to develop sustainable practices.
The objectives of the proposed GITI are to promote transparency, to create better awareness of violations of labour standards, and to identify potential for improvement in the national context.
GITI aims to promote International Labour Organisation’s core labour standards that include freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining, as well as the right to a living wage, humane working hours and a safe and healthy working environment.
