The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has clarified its future role in working to improve fire and building safety at ready-made garment factories after it reaches the end of its five-year tenure in May 2018.
The body, which is monitoring more than 1,600 factories for around 200 member brands and retailers, will initially be extended for six months from May 2018 unless a national regulatory body is ready to take over the Accord’s work by then.
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A joint committee comprising brands, global unions, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Association (BGMEA), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the government will continue to monitor the readiness of the government programme, with reviews continuing every six months.
When the joint monitoring committee agrees the conditions for handover have been met, there will be a further transition period of six months, after which the local body would assume responsibility for factories now covered by the Accord.
The aim is to transfer the Bangladesh Accord to a national regulatory body once agreed criteria have been met, including provisions on transparency, enforcement, capacity, as well as confidential complaints mechanisms.
“The Accord has remedied thousands of safety issues for workers in Bangladesh’ garment industry and is instrumental in protecting workers. It has also created a model that can be adopted by a national regulatory body to ensure compliance with safety standards into the future,” explains Jenny Holdcroft, assistant general secretary at the IndustriAll global union.
“Building capacity to meet the conditions for a handover of Accord functions is vital. We will continue to work with the Accord to support the Bangladesh government in this task and ensure that the requirements are met for a safe and sustainable garment industry.”
It has also been agreed that the so-called ‘2018 Accord’ signed in June this year with a group of global apparel brands and retailers will now be referred to as the ‘Transition Accord.’
Currently signed by 47 brands and retailers – including including Primark, Hennes & Mauritz (H&M) and Inditex – and covering almost 1,200 of the current factories, its goal had been to continue the Accord safety programme in Bangladesh until May 2021.
The signatory brands and trade unions have now committed to engage with the Bangladesh Government, BGMEA, IndustriAll Bangladesh affiliated unions, and the ILO to implement the conditions under which the Accord will be able to transfer its functions to a national regulatory body.
Meanwhile, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, which mainly represents North American brands and retailers, will leave Bangladesh after the end of the tenure on 31 May 2018.
Bangladesh Accord and Alliance to end tenures next year
