BGMEA opposes Accord’s time extension

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) leaders have opposed the time extension of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety by three more years. They said that they believe factory remediation work will be completed within the current tenure.

“We don’t accept the new agreement. It is a unilateral decision by the Accord,”  BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman, said in an interview with the English language daily the Daily Star.

“We have not been included in the board of the Accord and the signatories did not even show the draft copy of the new agreement,” Rahman said.

Former BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said  “We don’t need the Accord anymore”.

Meanwhile, trade unions and leading apparel brands extended the tenure of the Accord for three more years at the OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct in Paris June 30.

A press release of ACCORD said companies and global unions have agreed on a 2nd Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (“Accord”).

“The agreement will enter into effect when the current Accord expires in May 2018. The Accord is an unprecedented, legally binding agreement between companies and trade unions to make factories in Bangladesh safe, the press release added.

According to the press release, several companies have now signed the renewed agreement with IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union. Many more companies are expected to sign in the coming days.

– The Accord will continue its independent safety inspections and remediation program at existing and new factories covered under the agreement.
– The Safety Committee and safety training program will be extended to all factories.
– The renewed agreement includes additional commitments to ensure that workers’ rights to Freedom of Association are respected to protect their own safety.

The renewed agreement builds on the fundamental elements that have made the Accord successful; including: independent inspections, bi-partite governance, commitment to transparency, provisions to ensure remediation is financially feasible, Safety Committee training and a credible complaints mechanism.

“The new agreement demonstrates that international brands and global trade unions recognise the positive impact of the Accord and the need for the Accord to continue its work in Bangladesh to ensure that factories are made safe and stay safe”, says Rob Wayss, Executive Director and Acting Chief Safety Inspector of the Accord.

The Ready-Made-Garment (RMG) factories covered under the current Accord have made significant progress with safety remediation over the past four years. In this final year of the current Accord, the focus is on completing all outstanding key safety measures such as structural retrofitting, installation of fire alarm and fire protection systems and protected fire exits, and the continued delivery of the Safety Committee training program.

The Accord and its trade union, company, and NGO witness signatories will intensify our constructive work with factory owners, the Government of Bangladesh, BMGEA and BKMEA, the International Labour Organisation and donor governments and their relevant programs and initiatives.

The Accord encourages all companies sourcing from Bangladesh to sign the renewed Accord and join our collective goal of safe and sustainable RMG and related industries.