STATEMENT FROM THE ALLIANCE FOR BANGLADESH WORKER SAFETY
July 30, 2013
North American retailers have joined with others in the global apparel industry in committing to providesupport and funding to accelerate safety improvements in the garment factories of Bangladesh. On July 10 in Washington, DC, retailers and brands that represent the overwhelming majority of North American apparel imports from Bangladesh announced they were uniting behind the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative. The Initiative was developed through engagement with stakeholders including: the U.S. and Bangladeshi governments; policymakers; non-governmental organizations; members of civil society; and the International Labour Organisation. Implementation will be overseen by a board of directors that includes external stakeholders.
The 18 North American retailers and brands that have signed on thus far to the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety believe there are now two strong plans with a common goal, and Alliance members hope and expect to work with members of the EU-based Accord on Fire and Building Safety to achieve sustainable improvements to fire and building safety for workers in Bangladesh.
The Alliance isa legally binding five-year agreement backed by at least $44 million in member funding. The Initiative requires members to accomplishindependent inspections of 100 percent of the factories they use within the first year; develop common safety standards within three months; and also ensure that factory workers and management are trained on fire and building safety at all Alliance member factories within the first year. In addition, some Alliance members are providing further support for remediation and safety improvements by making available a combined total of over $100 million in access to low-cost capital for the factories they work with.
The Initiative will support the democratic election and operation of Worker Participation Committees at each factory, as part of the Alliance’s commitment to workers’ rights, and includes strong provisions related to the role that these worker committees can play at each factory so that concerns can be raised about factory conditions without fear of retaliation. Combined with the worker hotline that is also being established, the Initiative provides many components that directly address worker safety.
For example, if one of the independent inspectors identifies a severe and imminent danger to worker safety, the inspector will immediately inform factory management, the factory’s Worker Participation Committee, worker representatives where unions are present, the local government, BGMEA/BKMEA and Alliance Members, and recommend to factory management and local government the needed remedial action, including interim closure and evacuation of the factory, if necessary.
One of the Alliance’s four stakeholder members of the Board of Directors, Ambassador Jim Moriarty, former U.S. Ambassador to Bangladesh, had this to say at the July announcement: “I am confident that the Bangladesh Worker Safety Initiative is an important step in the right direction for Bangladesh. The plan will provide rapid implementation, worker empowerment and more importantly, a long-term commitment to sustainable change.”
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