Bangladesh

The Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD) think tank says that many of the survivors of the Rana Plaza collapse are worse off than they were before the disaster. During a recent policy dialogue hosted by the group, industry experts noted that while many affected families have received compensation payments from various stakeholder groups, most of that money has gone toward medical expenses, leaving them with little means of day-to-day support. Many also say that they are unable to return to work in the RMG industry due to either physical or mental ailments.(The Daily Star)
 
Salvage workers at the site of the Rana Plaza collapse say they found human remains on April 20, just 4 days before the second anniversary of the disaster. Local police say a team searching for iron scraps on the site came across skeletal parts while conducting their sweep of the area. So far, the remains have not been identified. (Bangla News 24)
 
The head of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Atiqul Islam, says that trade union leaders in the country are abusing their power and have become vulnerable to malpractice. Speaking at a recent garment industry stakeholder gathering in Dhaka, Islam said that there was a lack of education and awareness about the role of labor unions among workers and that raising awareness on this issue was crucial the industry to succeed. Islam also says that workers should be further educated on the implications of broader external influence on Bangladesh’s RMG industry. ((The Financial Express)
 
Several hundred workers of two apparel factories staged a massive protest in front of the BGMEA headquarters building on April 19 demonstrating against the sudden closure of their factories and demanding immediate payment of their back wages. The workers allege that the owner of the facilities, a Hong Kong native, sold off all of the factory’s equipment and left the country earlier this month without paying owed wages. The owner was reportedly spotted at the Dhaka airport by a group of workers who confined him inside the factory for 3 days to convince him to make the payments. (New Age BD)
 
The International Labor Organization (ILO) is calling for greater social dialogue among the various stakeholders in Bangladesh’s garment industry, citing the incredible benefits that would be reaped from doing so. The ILO says that engaged workers, for instance, are more likely to be productive and profitable, which in turn will help drive growth and investment. The push was made at a recent ILO gathering in Dhaka to get input on new collaboration initiatives. (UNB) / (ILO)
 
The High Court of Bangladesh is pushing the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (the Capital Development Authority of the Government of Bangladesh) to comply with a 2-year-old mandate to submit a list of all risky buildings in the city of Dhaka. The order was first issued shortly after the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in 2013, though the group failed to comply at the time. Lawyers for the group say that the list would be submitted in a matter of days. (The Daily Star)
 
The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh says that it has inspected over 1,250 factories and has begun sharing its reports with the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety in order to avoid redundant inspections. The announcement was made as part of the Accord’s most recent monthly update in which they also announced that they have received over 950 Corrective Action Plans (CAPs) from factories, over 500 of which have been posted online. The Accord says it will invite its company signatories to attend its next Steering Committee meeting in June. (UNB ) / (Bangladesh Accord)
 
Bangladesh could increase its readymade garment exports to Canada by 5 times by 2021, according to the Canada Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CanCham Bangladesh). At US$1.1 billion, Canada is the 5th-largest export market for Bangladesh, with over 77% of that revenue coming from garments. Overall, Bangladesh is aiming to achieve US$50 billion in global exports by 2021. (Fibre2Fashion)
 
Bangladesh’s Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed says the government plans to set up a Special Economic Zone (SEZ) to entice more Chinese investment to the country. Following a meeting the the Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh, Ahmed noted that plans are also in the works for an industrial park to be established that will be home to 250 readymade garment production units, again for the sake of attracting more Chinese investment. Additionally, the two countries have announced that they are working on a bilateral agreement that would allow duty-free exports from Bangladesh to China. (Fibre2Fashion)