The Ministry of Public Administration has approved a labour ministry proposal for urgently appointing 200 more factory inspectors to fulfill the condition of the Bangladesh Action Plan set by the United States for the restoration of GSP facilities.
According to the proposal, the inspectors will be appointed from the Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) candidates, who have already passed all the three tiers of the tests, but so far failed to secure any cadre posts.
“Public administration ministry approved last week appointing of 200 more factory inspectors,” Md Faizur Rahman, a joint secretary of labour and employment ministry, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.
He said: "We have already sent the necessary documents to the public administration ministry, so the ministry can place those in the secretary-level meeting scheduled this week."
“After the approval at the secretary-level meeting, the proposal would soon be sent to the public service commission for its consent and then to the law ministry for examining the legal matters.’’
Soon after the law ministry’s scrutiny, the labour ministry will hold a meeting with the PSC officials to discuss about the possible expedite procedures for appointing the inspectors, he added.
The government will appoint 288 factory inspectors, of them, 65 will be non-cadre first class officials while 223 will be second class.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had earlier directed the officials concerned to see whether the factory inspectors could be appointed through Bangladesh Public Service Commission (BPSC) in an accelerated manner for retaining the GSP facilities.
Appointment of the factory inspectors was one of 16 conditions outlined in the Bangladesh Action Plan by the United States.
The government has already met 13, out of the 16 conditions, set by the US, and needs to meet rest of the three conditions that includes appointment of 200 more inspectors, allowing trade unions at export processing zones (EPZs) areas and resolving allegations of tortures on workers in 19 factories.
On June 27, 2013, the US government suspended Bangladesh’s trade benefits under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) in view of insufficient progress by the government in affording workers internationally recognised worker rights and work place safety.
