Pakistan labour groups are calling on brands to support the formation of a body, similar to that of the Bangladesh Accord, for the country’s garment and textile industry.
Agreed during a consultation last month in Lahore, the participants are calling for a Pakistan Accord that would be statutory and legally binding, transparent and enforceable both globally and in Pakistan, and cover all aspects of factory building safety from fire and structural to hygiene and chemical safety.
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Other elements agreed upon include signatory by local and global unions and brands, and equal or majority participation from local and global unions in program governance, as well as the establishment of safety committees with “genuine” representative union participation, and training for committee members.
There will also be mandatory safety training for all employees in a factory, and the creation of a worker complaint mechanism covering all legally required wage standards, workers’ rights and women’s rights, and stipulating that complaints be investigated, with the option of judicial review.
“The meeting has resulted in awareness and understanding among the participants about the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which is a legally-binding agreement signed between garment brands and unions that was formed in May 2013 after the Rana Plaza building collapse,” a joint statement read.
“The meeting participants noted the many similarities between the lack of workplace safety in Bangladesh prior to the Bangladesh Accord and the current lack of implementation of fire and building safety standards in garment and textile factories and mills in Pakistan. They affirmed that the fire and building safety improvements accomplished by the Bangladesh Accord are improvements that should come to the industry in Pakistan.”
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By GlobalDataIn major industrial zones of Pakistan, especially Karachi, Lahore, and Faisalabad, the groups say many factories are at risk of fire and other building safety challenges and workers do not have a safe escape route during a fire. A number of these factories are supplying to major international brands and retailers.
The meeting was jointly organised by the Pakistan Institute of Labour Education & Research, the National Trade Union Federation of Pakistan, and the Labour Education Foundation. It was held during the sixth anniversary week of the Ali Enterprises factory fire and attended by trade unions representing workers in the textile and garment sector.
“We agree to develop a proposal for the details for a Pakistan Accord that can be the basis for negotiation as a next step, and to share this with global partners, including the Clean Clothes Campaign Network, IndustriALL and UNI global unions,” they noted.
