FT ONLINE

The Safety Monitoring Organization (SMO) and the Transitional Accord will monitor the progress on safety measures in the Bangladesh apparel industry under Alliance and Accord, two platforms of global retailers committed to improving safety standards in the RMG sector.

BGMEA President Md Siddiqur Rahman informed journalists of the matter at the BGMEA headquarters in Dhaka on Saturday while addressing a press conference on the present status of safety measures in the RMG industry.

The press conference was arranged ahead of the fifth anniversary of the Rana Plaza disaster.

On April 24, 2013, over a thousand workers were killed and more than 2,000 injured when the eight-storey Rana Plaza building, which housed five garments factories, collapsed.

In the aftermath of the disaster, North-American and European apparel retailers formed the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, and the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, with the aim of improving safety standards in Bangladesh under a five year plan.

The tenure of these platforms is set to expire by the end of June this year.

“Safety standards have improved in the Bangladesh apparel industry and it is now a role model across the globe. The Accord and Alliance platforms are nearly ready to complete the remediation process by next month,” Siddiqur Rahman said.

Despite the remarkable progress in safety standards in the sector, monitoring was still necessary to ensure the progress is sustainable, the BGMEA president added.

The Transitional Accord and SMO will each be formed with an equal number of representatives from retailers, the BGMEA, and international trade unions, Siddiqur said. SMO and the Transitional Accord will stay in operation until the Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC) gains the capability to monitor safety issues in Alliance and Accord affiliated RMG factories, Siddiqur said.

Regarding a survey on survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse, the BGMEA president said that not a single victim had come to the organization with demands for jobs.

A survey conducted by Action Aid Bangladesh shows 48% of the survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse are out of employment due to physical and mental trauma.

BGMEA Vice-President Mohammed Nasir, and Directors Md Ashikur Rahman, Inamul Haq Khan Bablu, and Md Munir Hossain were also present at the press conference.