The German development arm, GIZ, has presented 20 motorcycles to labour inspectors.
Published : 26 Jan 2014, 05:06 PM
German Ambassador Albrecht Conze, while handing over the bikes on Sunday, said they would ensure “transparency through surprise visits”.
He said it would enhance the “frequency and mobility of the inspectors by making them less dependent on factory owners who used to provide vehicles for inspections”.
He said a well trained and adequately equipped public inspection system was needed to avoid any repetition of the Tazreen and Rana Plaza disasters.
The government and the development partners swung into actions after the worst-ever building collapse last year that killed more than 1,100 factory workers, months after the Tazreen factory fire had killed more than 100 workers.
Ready-made garment is the main export from Bangladesh.
After the twin tragedies, major buyers from the European Union unveiled a roadmap to improve factory conditions and workers rights.
Recruiting inspectors to monitor buildings was one of the key elements of the roadmap.
The German envoy said Bangladesh’s future as “an emerging industrial country depends on a reputation of excellence – not only with regard to the quality of its products, but also in meeting globally agreed social standards”.
“These standards need to be established, controlled and monitored,” he said.
He said the inspectors were “the most important” component of the labour inspection system.
“Currently there was a shortage of both inspectors and transport with more than 5,500 factories in the ready-made garment sector alone,” he said.
The motorcycles were distributed under the Promotion of Social and Environmental Standards (PSES) project, a joint initiative of the governments of Bangladesh and Germany, and the European Union (EU).
GIZ implements the project.
New State Minister for Labour and Employment Md. Mojibul Haque Chunnu, the Secretary of the Ministry Mikail Shipar, and GIZ Country Director Tobias Becker were present among others.