The European Union-led RMG Safety Accord has decided to set up a foundation in the Netherlands and open up a non-profit firm in Bangladesh within two weeks to run trainings and their factory-safety programmes in Bangladesh.
The forum of 84 clothing retailers and brands, mostly European, revealed their plan at a meeting with Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed yesterday.
Following the meeting, Mahbub told reporters that his ministry had given all types of assistance to the EU-led RMG Safety Accord team to ensure that the country's garment sector was labour-friendly and to train the RMG workers and factory staff to guarantee building safety.
He added that the team identified 1,495 factories, which did not comply with the building safety code and labour standards. They also promised to provide funds for their repairs or relocation outside Dhaka.
The forum members also decided to donate $500,000 each to the foundation to run the firm, which would be overviewing the transition into safe and labour-friendly environment at the factories.
The accord members want to immediately register the non-profit firm with the Registrar of Joint Stock Companies and Firms. Mahbub pointed out that the accord would form an advisory board with representatives from the BGMEA and the BKMEA, and commerce, labour and home ministries.
The visiting delegation also agreed to work on a unified code of conduct with other stakeholders including the US alliance for a safe and sustainable garment industry in Bangladesh.
It was led by C&A Buying's head of sustainable business development, Philio Chamberlain, and was manned by Industriall Global Union director of policy trade and development, Jenny Holdcroft, and UNI Global Union deputy secretary general, Christy Hoffman.
Hoffman said in a statement Tuesday: "We have had an incredibly positive welcome here in Dhaka. All sides have confirmed a commitment to the Accord and the manufacturers have been reassured that the brands are here for the long haul.
"The Bangladeshi government has agreed to pave the way for the Accord to begin its work without delay."
Top global retailers and brands on Monday launched talks with garment factory owners in Dhaka to work out a roadmap for executing the building and fire safety accord signed earlier this month for RMG sector.
A total of 84 clothing retailers and brands, mostly European, signed the legally-binding accord, initiated by IndustriALL following the collapse of the Rana Plaza in April that killed 1,132 people, mainly factory workers.
North American buyers separately signed a similar but non-binding accord for ensuring safety in the country's garment sector.
The commerce secretary said the ILO regional officer for Asia and the Pacific, Yoshiteru Uramoto, also met with him and expressed interest to provide assistance for developing the country's export product value chain to enter the new global export market.
He also said a consultant from New Delhi will come to Dhaka to provide assistance to the authority to that end.
