Bangladesh garment exporters’ lobby calls new worker safety accord ‘null and void’

The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association or BGMEA has said the claim that RMG Sustainability Council is implementing the new worker safety accord is ‘misleading’, and called the initiative “null and void”.

“Clauses and subclauses of any agreement signed outside Bangladesh, which are directly contradictory to the dictates of the laws of Bangladesh, must stand as null and void and have no scope of being implemented and RSC would not be functioning beyond its mandated remit,” the BGMEA said in a statement on Sunday.

“The Board of the RSC is only accountable to its stakeholders and works through a unique consensual decision making process, whereby no two groups may influence operations.”

The five-year accord, struck in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013 that killed more than 1,100 garment workers, instituted an independent body that held thousands of inspections and banned unsafe factories from supplying its signatory buyers.

That helped to make some 1,600 factories safer for 2 million workers, labour activists say.

Under a transition deal agreed in 2018 after the original accord expired, a newly-formed body, the RSC, which brings together unions, brands, and factory owners, took over the work of running factory inspections.

However, the RSC did not take over one portion of the accord - the ability for retailers to be tried in court in the country in which they are domiciled if they fail to meet their obligations, including cutting ties with factories that do not meet the accord's standards, according to Reuters.

But the BGMEA says the protocols of the former Accord 2013 had been adopted in the RSC.

A statement, signed by the new deal's deputy director Joris Oldenziel and representatives for UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union, on Aug 25 said major global retailers agreed on a two-year pact with garment workers and factory owners in Bangladesh, extending the pre-existing agreement that makes retailers liable to legal action unless their factories meet labour safety standards.

"This is a legally binding agreement between companies and trade unions to make ready-made garment (RMG) and textile factories safe," the statement said.

"The renewed agreement advances the fundamental elements that made the accord successful."

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan had earlier said the new international accord came as a surprise as the initiative was announced without any discussion with owners in the garment sector.

The association on Sunday said Accord Foundation’s statement declaring formation of the international accord “may have been confusing for many and might give the impression of a poor partnership” and it “may be seen to be undermining” the RSC.

“The Industry has zero tolerance for backsliding on matters related to safety, even while the rate of progress of certification may not be as per expectations, but the RSC is working to overcome these issues.”

The original agreement, known as the Bangladesh Accord, was due to expire on Aug 31. The new version comes into force on Sept 1 and is named the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry to reflect its wider reach.

Some 200 retailers signed up to the accord in 2013, including retail giants H&M, Inditex, Fast Retailing's Uniqlo, Hugo Boss, and Adidas . A list of those that have also signed up to the extension will be made available on Sept 1, Reuters reported citing sources.

“It should be clear to all constituents and stakeholders, that there is no licenced entity, apart from the RSC working in this sector,” the BGMEA said.

”The former Stitching Bangladesh Accord Foundation & the proposed International Accord for Health & Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry Foundation are separate entities to the RSC and will not have any function in Bangladesh, directly or indirectly, unless expressly permitted by the Government of Bangladesh.”