DHAKA: Top 70 top retailers promised to open their Bangladesh factories to safety inspections within nine months as part of a pact in the wake of a deadly garment factory collapse.
The mainly European brands will underwrite repairs and renovations if inspections reveal their factories to be unsafe, according to the agreement, signed with unions after the collapse of the nine-storey Rana Plaza in Dhaka on April 24 killed 1,129 people.
“Initial inspections at every factory will be completed at the latest within nine months, and plans for renovations and repairs put in place if necessary,” the pact’s steering committee said.
Labour umbrella groups, including Swiss-based Industrial and UNI Global Union, stepped up pressure on Western retailers to sign the deal.
Retailers, including Inditex, H&M and Primark, started agreeing to the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in May to improve factory conditions. The country is the world’s second biggest apparel exporter, with clothing accounting for 80 percent of overseas shipments.
“The terms of reference and the rules of the accord are set in place, we can now identify the best people and put together the team in Bangladesh who will be charged with carrying out this vital work,” said UNI Global Union General Secretary Philip Jennings. Retailers will submit details of their suppliers in Bangladesh by July 15 which will then be publicly released.
A team of inspectors aim to “identify grave hazards and the need for urgent repairs” at the factories. Retailers must commit for two years to the garment plants flagged for safety improvements, the statement said. A headquarters to oversee implementation of the five-year pact will be set up in Amsterdam with another office in Dhaka, it said.
While leading European retailers have joined the agreement, American brands such as Walmart and Gap have snubbed the accord and opted for self-regulation.
The task of inspecting and improving factories could prove hugely daunting. A survey by a prestigious Dhaka-based engineering university last week found nine out of 10 Bangladeshi garment plants are risky structures, and many were built without qualified engineers. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association welcomed the accord. AFP
