A group of 250 investors representing more than US$4.5trn in assets has urged the new Ready-Made Garment (RMG) Sustainability Council — which takes over from the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety at the end of its tenure — to ensure it is working on the same principles and criteria as the Accord in order to guarantee worker safety.
The comment came after an agreement was struck between the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Accord on Fire and Building Safety last month in a move that paved the way for the Accord to continue its operations for a transition period of 281 days, following several delays on the decision of its future operation.
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The extension allows the Accord to work with the BGMEA to learn its core functions, after which time, the duty will be handed over to the RMG Sustainability Council to implement all aspects of the Accord operations including inspections, remediation, safety training of workers, complaint mechanism and public reporting.
“It is critically important to get assurance that the new RMG Sustainability Council will operate on the same principles and criteria that make the Accord so credible in keeping workers safe,” the Bangladesh Investor Initiative, a unit of 250 investors that is part of the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), said.
The body has been a strong proponent of the Accord since its inception in 2013. Investors have advocated for the Accord’s continuance until the government of Bangladesh “fully builds the necessary capacity to take on this programme”.
“To be effective during the upcoming transition period, the Accord needs its independence in order to fulfil its mandate and protect the lives of workers,” it said. “The BGMEA unit’s role within the Accord cannot come with restrictions on the Accord’s operations; rather, it should be limited to gaining a clear understanding of the Accord’s systems, operations and protocols in order to be ready for the transfer of these functions at the end of the year. As investors, we will be assessing how this process develops, looking for any actions on the part of BGMEA that undermine the Accord’s independent decision-making as well as its core mission of inspecting, remediating and when necessary, terminating factories that have failed to remediate issues.”
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By GlobalDataThe group added as investors in many of the global brands sourcing in Bangladesh, it urges:
- The Bangladesh Government and BGMEA to support the comprehensive, independent, and legally-binding approach of the Accord, and extend it to all factories in the garment sector.
- The global brands to actively participate in the RMG Sustainability Council and drive sustainable change to eliminate the risk to workers and ensure that this program maintains the same standards of transparency, independence and enforcement as the Accord has practiced for six years.
“Investors have the responsibility to respect human rights and do their part to make sure garment workers are safe and secure, and ensure that global brands can be confident that risks to workers are being mitigated through a comprehensive, sustainable and legally-binding process,” it said.
