Brussels, 23/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday 22 April, on the eve of the second anniversary of the Rana Plaza tragedy, European Commissioner for Trade Cecilia Malmström urged the Bangladeshi government to speed up its reforms as part of the Sustainability Compact. The compact was an initiative launched in July 2013 with the EU, US and International Labour Organisation (ILO) to improve labour rights and workplace safety in the off-the-peg garment industry in Bangladesh, and to promote corporate social responsibility in the supply chain.
In two years, the Sustainability Compact has achieved some notable results, Malmström stated at a European Parliament conference organised by Jean Lambert (Greens/EFA, UK). Labour rights in Bangladesh are now better protected thanks to the changes made to its labour law in July 2013, which enabled the rules on freedom of association to be improved, as well as those on collective bargaining and workplace safety. The Bangladeshi government has also strengthened its ability to inspect factories, “real progress” has been made on building and workplace safety, and 32 factories have been completely closed. In addition, several projects are under way to promote responsible business conduct - including two international private sector programmes (one for building safety, the other for worker safety) and the ILO's Better Work Bangladesh programme. In addition, families and survivors are receiving compensation, rehabilitation and retraining, with the EU's participation.
However, “more must be done”, Malmström stated, urging the Bangladeshi government to conduct three priority short-term actions - the “urgent” enforcement in June 2015 of the 2013 labour law reforms; the investigation and prosecution of unfair labour practices (including anti-union discrimination and reprisals); and action on the rights of workers in export processing zones. In the medium-term, Malmström called on the Bangladeshi authorities to work on a new labour law reform to bring it fully into line with ILO conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining. As regards factory inspections, the Bangladeshi government is asked to increase the resources available to the authorities for building and fire safety, and to take ownership of inspections when the privately-run initiatives end in 2018. In addition, Malmström called on brands and retailers to increase their contribution to the Rana Plaza Trust fund. This currently falls short of its $30 million target by $8.5 million.
“Another tragedy, or even just a continuation of today's poor conditions for workers, could also force the European Union to revisit [granting its preferences via] Everything But Arms”, Malmström warned. She hopes to visit Bangladesh this autumn “if (…) we have seen real progress”. (Emmanuel Hagry)