US Ambassador to Bangladesh Marcia Bernicat on Monday urged Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the government to come to a quick resolution on the Accord and Alliance’s extensions in Bangladesh.
The ambassador was addressing a program by the US Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program called “Economic and Labor Reporting” for journalist on Monday.
“I urge BGMEA and the Government of Bangladesh to come to a quick resolution on the Accord on Fire and Building Safety and Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety extensions in Bangladesh,” said Ambassador Bernicat.
“Delays in approving their extensions will send a negative signal to buyers and consumers that Bangladesh is not committed to workplace safety,” she added.
“Factory safety and labour rights are not just a priority for the US government; they are a priority for our legislators, civil society, US businesses and, more importantly, for US consumers. Respecting workers’ rights is not just the right thing to do; it is important to ensuring free and fair trade and investment around the world,” she stressed.
“Bangladesh’s RMG sector is much safer than in 2013 when the Rana Plaza disaster occurred, and Bangladesh and BGMEA must do a better job at marketing the dramatic improvements that are bringing the sector up to world-class standards,” Bernicat said adding that there is still work to be done on factory and building safety.
“After the incident, with a five year time frame, Alliance and Accord, two platform of global apparel retailers were made to improve the safety standards in the country’s RMG sector. The tenure of these two platforms is set to expiry on June this year. But, the Bangladesh government in response to the Accord’s call, already extended it tenure by six month. While, it is set to extend Alliance tenure to December 2018,” a source at BGMEA confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune.
BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman, senior-vice president Faruque Hassan, vice-president Mohammed Nasir and Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu were present at the program.
