The Supreme Court of Bangladesh has once again delayed its decision on the future operation of the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in the country.
It is now the seventh time the court has adjourned a hearing on a petition filed by the Accord challenging a High Court directive asking it to end all activities in Bangladesh on 30 November.
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The new date for the hearing is 15 April.
Supreme Court’s Appellate Division hearing on Accord appeal against restraining order adjourned until 15 April 2019
— Bangladesh Accord (@banglaccord) 8 April 2019
Since it was set up in 2013, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh – and its replacement, the Transition Accord – have inspected more than 1,600 RMG factories in Bangladesh on behalf of around 200 global brands and retailers. The original five-year pact expired in May 2018 but was extended to complete remaining safety fixes while the Bangladesh government builds up its Remediation Coordination Cell (RCC) as the national regulatory body to oversee workplace safety and remediation
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By GlobalDataBut international stakeholders fear the RCC is not yet prepared to take on the responsibilities of the Accord’s inspection programme, despite the government’s claims to the contrary.
Last week the government of Bangladesh was criticised as being “shockingly unready” for factory safety in an investigation by a consortium of labour rights organisations based on an analysis of two government-run databases intended to provide information on the remediation of garment factories. The investigation revealed none of the 745 factories under the government’s inspection programme have eliminated high-risk safety hazards – all of which were identified between three and five years ago.
Since then, the Accord’s members have written an open letter to the government of Bangladesh, reiterating their commitment to the safety of the RMG industry. The letter came in the wake of the FR Tower fire at the end of March which resulted in 26 deaths.
“The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (Accord) has been working with the RMG industry and national social partners to advance standards-based fire and building safety in approximately 1700 RMG factories producing for the 200+ global apparel companies which are signatories to the Accord. The Accord has much to offer to the RMG industry and to the Government of Bangladesh to further advance fire building safety in the country.
“We reiterate our commitment to Bangladesh to better ensure that fires are prevented; that when they do occur, they are contained and suppressed; and that occupants of a building which catches fire have protected and safe egress from the building.
“The Accord has committed to complete fire and building safety at our above-referenced covered factories while we simultaneously support the technical and operational development of the Government of Bangladesh offices responsible for fire, building, and occupational safety at manufacturing facilities in Bangladesh.
“The scope and size of the challenge to achieve fire and building safety in Bangladesh’s industries are significant. Joint efforts of the Government of Bangladesh, manufacturers & building owners, workers & unions, and the Accord will make these challenges easier to meet and overcome. The FR Tower fire underscores that a great deal of work remains to make the country’s commercial infrastructure safe.”
