Bangladesh

At least 5 factory workers were injured on June 28 after a boiler in the facility exploded. Three of those workers were transported to the hospital where they were treated for their injuries. The incident remains under investigation.(UNB Connect)

The Bangladeshi government has reportedly failed to meet a recruitment goal of 200 additional factory inspectors by June 30 because of “procedural issues.” The original deadline of December 30 of last year, which was set by European and U.S. trade officials as a condition of reinstatement of some preferential trade benefits, had been pushed back several times for the same reason, though Bangladeshi officials now say that they expect to have the staffing requirement filled by August. A group of 125 inspectors did successfully complete their training on June 26 by the International Labor Organization and the International Training Centre.(New Age BD/ILO)

The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has published hundreds of factory inspection reports and has released hundreds of hours of filmed footage of factory inspections to a select group of journalists. The release coincides with the 1st anniversary of the establishment of the Accord.(Fibre2Fashion Bangladesh Accord)

The Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) has commended Bangladesh’s efforts to address challenges in its readymade garments sector and is even considering promoting Bangladesh as a model for other countries around the world who are heavily involved in global supply chains. He is also urging all stakeholders to keep up their efforts in working to improve labor rights in the country. (UNB Connect)