Britain will provide Tk2bn (£18m) in aid to improve productivity and safety in Bangladeshi garment factories.
British Minister for International Development Alan Duncan announced the funding after visiting victims of the Rana Plaza disaster on Wednesday.
The money will go towards establishing a programme of skills and safety training for 100,000 low-skilled garment workers, officials of the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) said.
Calling Bangladesh’s garment industry a “massive success story,” Duncan urged all buyers and suppliers sourcing from Bangladesh to take concerted action to improve the working conditions and ensure workers’ safety.
In an interview with Dhaka Tribune, Duncan stressed that the garment industry was vital for Bangladesh’s development and safety standards must catch up with its rapid growth.
“The industry has been built from nothing in the past 30 years and now needs to be turned into a long-term development success,” he said. “This success must not be allowed to go sour.”
“Our own high street brands must assume responsibility for their products, from the store right back to the sewing machine, and the UK is ready to help make this happen.”
The British minister said Rana Plaza was a wake-up call and that the Bangladesh brand was in danger as a result.
“Action to strengthen conditions for garment workers must and should be led by Bangladeshis. However, the UK has experience in shaping industry codes, and stands ready to help,” he said, adding that the UK would consider providing training for factory inspectors in Bangladesh.
Duncan visited Rana Plaza survivors Wednesday morning at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP), a specialised medical centre funded by the UK.
CRP is treating victims of the Rana Plaza collapse, many of whom have been paralysed by spinal cord injuries.
Duncan said that rather than punishing Bangladesh for industrial accidents, development partners should help the country build capacity and brands should take responsibility for the places where their products are made.
“Bangladesh lacks the capacity to police employment rights, health and safety and building standards,” he said. “The result is a tragedy like Rana Plaza. Regulations and enforcement need to catch up with the rapid growth of this sector.”
Duncan’s visit follows a letter to British companies in Bangladesh from Development Secretary Justine Greening, inviting them to a dialogue on raising standards in garment production.
Bangladesh receives around £250m a year from Britain’s £8bn annual aid budget.
Existing UK support to improve conditions in the garment industry includes the Ethical Trade Initiative (ETI) which brings together businesses as well as trade unions and voluntary organisations that sign up to a code based on ILO standards.
The Ethical Trading Initiative has 70 member-companies including retailers such as ASOS, Boden, Burberry, DAKS, Fat Face, Gap, Jaeger, Monsoon, Next, Primark, River Island, M&S, Tesco and John Lewis and the White Company, many of which source clothes from Bangladesh.
