Alliance hopes Accord will agree

North American retailers’ group Alliance has formally responded to European clothing brand association Accord’s rejection of Alliance brand's individual inspection reports on shared factories done before the formation of Alliance.

A statement was issued by Alliance chair Ellen Tauscher and posted on its website on August 28.

Alliance says it "has a strict equivalency process in place requiring that all inspections conducted by our Member Brands meet the harmonised safety Standard agreed to by the Alliance, the Accord and the National Tripartite Committee (NTC) — including those conducted before the new Standard was adopted."

In addition, it says, its inspections had gone through a rigorous review and quality control process that involved experts and globally reputed quality control firms.

It claims that it reinspected factories whose inspection reports did not meet the harmonised standard.

Alliance thinks Accord's rejection of Alliance brand's individual inspection report is based on misleading information and is a setback for garment factory safety efforts in Bangladesh.

Alliance has also claimed that Accord never spelt out its “methodological concern” about Alliance inspections, though the two sides had several meetings and Alliance had sent its inspection protocol to Accord several months ago.

Alliance hopes that Accord will accept all its inspection reports and will take part in workers' training programme and the creation of a joint advisory board.

Earlier, on Aug 15, Accord said in a statement that it would not accept any inspection report on shared factories prepared by a firm individually hired by a brand of Alliance.

BGMEA, the apex body of readymade garment manufacturers, fears Accord's stance will put over 300 factories, manufacturers for both European and North American brands, in trouble.

BGMEA President Md Atiqul Islam even said the body would write to Accord, requesting the group to accept Alliance inspection reports.