The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) says global buyers and brands are not offering higher prices for products even though the BGMEA has taken wage hikes and other initiatives to improve workplace safety and compliance. It’s been over a year since the Rana Plaza collapse that killed 1,135 people, mostly garment workers.
The BGMEA says global buyers put pressure on the government to increase wages but don't increase prices of products. Rather they are canceling orders from factories located at shared or rented buildings. During the last one year, 150 trade unions have been registered while the number was only 38 in eight years. BGMEA says buyers are not taking ongoing developments and initiatives into consideration. It also requested global brands and buyers to create a fund for Rana Plaza victims and their families instead of giving only verbal assurances.
Terming buyers' pulling out orders from shared buildings as inhuman, BGMEA says about 40 per cent factories are located in shared or rented buildings employing about 1.5 million workers. It requested buyers to consider the issue and not withdraw orders from those factories. The three initiatives, the Accord, the Alliance and the government and ILO-led factory assessment, have so far inspected 700 factories.
www.bgmea.com.bd/
