Germany ready to share experience with RMG stakeholders

Germany is ready to share its own knowledge on factory safety and workers’ rights, Junior German minister on economic cooperation and development Hans-Joachim Fuchtel has said.

He said his country would be happy to invite key stakeholders from Bangladesh, particularly representatives of labour unions from the clothing sector to Germany.

The Parliamentarian State Secretary was quoted as saying in a German embassy media release after his departure from Bangladesh at the end of a three-day visit on Sunday.

The embassy on Monday said the main purpose of his visit was to get “further insights into the current state of the Bangladeshi RMG sector”.

He visited a factory, the Rana Plaza site, and the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralyzed (CRP) in Savar where he planted a tree in memory of the victims of the tragic building collapse.

Fuchtel also met with the Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, factory owners, and union representatives.

He said the clothing sector in Bangladesh was ‘incredibly dynamic’.

“This country is in an excellent position to increase its share on the world market”.

But he said the Rana Plaza collapse put the lack of factory safety, the insufficient building standards and the inadequate salaries and working conditions of garment workers on the global agenda.

The worst-ever building collapse in April last year killed more than 1,100 factory workers and injured many, evoking a worldwide concern.

The EU is the largest market of Bangladesh’s exports where all products enjoy duty-free market access.

Within the EU, Germany is the biggest market for Bangladesh.

Fuchtel said European consumers were “getting more conscious regarding production and safety standards in Bangladesh’s RMG factories”.

A week ago, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development had initiated a new action plan in cooperation with stakeholder in the garment sector.

He also acknowledged the progress so far been made in the wake of the building collapse.

He said Germany is not only advocating for worker’s rights and safety standards since Rana Plaza, but that it has been a reliable partner for Bangladesh in terms of improvements in the RMG sector for many years.

“With our development cooperation Germany will continue to support Bangladeshi companies and the Bangladeshi government.

“We noted that by providing training, and expertise, our existing initiatives in the RMG sector already contributed to an improvement in safety standards and worker’s rights in Bangladesh”.

He said Germany is one of the leading export nations of the world and therefore, possesses a lot of knowledge that can also be valuable for this country.

“In our experience a frank and constructive dialogue between workers, owners and the government can secure a rapid and sustainable development,” he said inviting stakeholders to visit Germany.