Rana Plaza tragedy
TIB happy over steps at establishing good governance
UNB, Dhaka :
The RMG sector’s overall progress towards completing the remedial initiatives aimed at establishing good
governance in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 has been termed ‘satisfactory’ by Transparency International Bangladesh.
According to a new TIB study’s findings, revealed to coincide with the third anniversary of the biggest industrial disaster in the sector’s history, the authorities took 106 initiatives in the RMG sector after the Rana Plaza collapse.
‘Marked progress’ has been achieved in 77 percent of these steps, according to TIB. The rest however lag behind with either ‘low progress’ or at ‘standstill’.
The findings of the study titled, ‘Governance in ready-made garment (RMG) sector: progress, challenges and way forward’ were revealed at the TIB office in the capital on Thursday.
TIB Programme Manager Manzur E Huda presented the findings at a press conference while TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Deputy Executive Director Prof Sumaiya Khair, Director (policy research) Mohammad Rafiqul Hasan and Assistant Programme Manager Nazmul Huda Mina were present.
To remove the impediments to governance in the RMG sector after the deadly building collapse that killed at least 1100 workers, the study notes that the government till now has taken various initiatives – the cabinet in principle approved the EPZ Labour Bill 2016, an EPZ Labour Court was formed, and the Labour Policy 2015 was announced.
About 95 percent of the RMG factories are providing salaries to their workers following the guidelines of the Minimum Wage Board, and most compliant factories have distributed identity cards to their workers with emergency numbers.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, the progress brought about in the sector within the space of three years is satisfactory, but it must continue in the same vein with no room for complacency.
“Bringing infrastructural, ethical and legal progresses are not enough to sustain the progress,” Dr Iftekhar said, insisting realistic implementation progress is a must to establish governance and ensure transparency in the RMG sector in real sense.
Many challenges still remain in the sector, the TIB chief warned, which need to be addressed.
The study proposes a set of recommendations to address the challenges of the RMG sector. These include forming a separate ministry on RMG sector, taking steps to ensure technical compliance in factories which are not members of BGMEA or BKMEA, accelerating the formation of workers’ welfare fund, and bringing the perpetrators of the Rana Plaza disaster to justice under the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
The RMG sector’s overall progress towards completing the remedial initiatives aimed at establishing good
governance in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013 has been termed ‘satisfactory’ by Transparency International Bangladesh.
According to a new TIB study’s findings, revealed to coincide with the third anniversary of the biggest industrial disaster in the sector’s history, the authorities took 106 initiatives in the RMG sector after the Rana Plaza collapse.
‘Marked progress’ has been achieved in 77 percent of these steps, according to TIB. The rest however lag behind with either ‘low progress’ or at ‘standstill’.
The findings of the study titled, ‘Governance in ready-made garment (RMG) sector: progress, challenges and way forward’ were revealed at the TIB office in the capital on Thursday.
TIB Programme Manager Manzur E Huda presented the findings at a press conference while TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, Deputy Executive Director Prof Sumaiya Khair, Director (policy research) Mohammad Rafiqul Hasan and Assistant Programme Manager Nazmul Huda Mina were present.
To remove the impediments to governance in the RMG sector after the deadly building collapse that killed at least 1100 workers, the study notes that the government till now has taken various initiatives – the cabinet in principle approved the EPZ Labour Bill 2016, an EPZ Labour Court was formed, and the Labour Policy 2015 was announced.
About 95 percent of the RMG factories are providing salaries to their workers following the guidelines of the Minimum Wage Board, and most compliant factories have distributed identity cards to their workers with emergency numbers.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, the progress brought about in the sector within the space of three years is satisfactory, but it must continue in the same vein with no room for complacency.
“Bringing infrastructural, ethical and legal progresses are not enough to sustain the progress,” Dr Iftekhar said, insisting realistic implementation progress is a must to establish governance and ensure transparency in the RMG sector in real sense.
Many challenges still remain in the sector, the TIB chief warned, which need to be addressed.
The study proposes a set of recommendations to address the challenges of the RMG sector. These include forming a separate ministry on RMG sector, taking steps to ensure technical compliance in factories which are not members of BGMEA or BKMEA, accelerating the formation of workers’ welfare fund, and bringing the perpetrators of the Rana Plaza disaster to justice under the Speedy Trial Tribunal.
