The signatories to the Bangladesh agreement on the protection of workers in the Bangladeshi textile industry agreed on a new international agreement on 25 August. It will replace the one agreed in 2013 after the collapse of the Rana Plaza industrial complex (see EUROPE 10839/33), which expires on 30 August.
The agreement, called the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, was signed between trade unions and brands in the textile and garment industry to protect workers in the sector.
It included, among other things, the obligation to respect the right to association, the duty of transparency, training in security measures, or an effective complaints system.
The successor agreement will enter into force on 1 September and will remain in force until 31 October 2023. It includes an obligation to extend the work done under the agreement, to focus on the health and safety programme in Bangladesh, and to build a credible compliance mechanism for the industry.
New partners such as IndustriALL Global Union and UNI Global Union are now signatories to the agreement and will soon be joined by a range of other companies.
“We welcome the outcome of this negotiation and will do everything in our power to ensure that as many Bangladeshi apparel brands and retailers as possible sign the new agreement, including Belgian apparel companies”, said Sanna Abdessalem, coordinator of the NGO network achACT.
On Thursday 26 August, MEP Saskia Bricmont (Greens/EFA, Belgium) also welcomed the signing of the new agreement, which she said “represents an important step in the right direction”.
See the agreement: https://bit.ly/3DnB5hA (Original version in French by Léa Marchal)