The partners of the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact yesterday recognised that Bangladesh has made progress especially concerning factory safety and promulgation of implementing rules under the Labour Act. At the same time, the Compact partners stressed that Bangladesh needs to do more in terms of labour rights, including freedom of association and prosecution of those responsible for unfair labour practices. Following the Rana Plaza disaster in April, 2013, the Sustainability Compact came into effect in Geneva.  The partners of the Compact are government of Bangladesh, European Union (EU), United States of America (USA) and International Labour Organisation (ILO). Canada joined the Compact yesterday.
The first follow-up meeting of the Compact was held in Brussels in October, 2014, and the second one was held at a local hotel yesterday to take stock of the progress in the implementation of the Compact since the last meeting. “They (Compact partners) recognised important progress that has been made since adoption of the Compact and the last follow-up meeting. They further recognised the need to maintain momentum on progress in all of its pillars and reaffirm their commitment to ensuring implementation of the outstanding commitments of the Compact involving all stakeholders, both in public and private sectors,” said a joint statement after the second follow-up meeting.
In the joint statement, the partners recognised the need to ensure that trade union registration process is carried out as a smooth and expeditious formality, in accordance with objective and transparent criteria. They wanted the upgrading of Bangladesh’s Directorate of Labour with additional staff and resources to effectively investigate and prosecute unfair labour practices in a timely and transparent manner and to promote harmonious industrial relations.
The joint statement also called for adoption of the necessary legislative changes to the legal framework applicable in the EPZs to protect freedom of association and collective bargaining rights and to ensure that such rights are commensurate with those provided in the national Labour Law, involving all stakeholders and the ILO. The partners stressed the need to ensure the effective implementation of the Bangladesh labour act and its rules, in line with the relevant ILO conventions.
They called for complete recruitment of inspectors, and to ensure effective inspections at all of the country’s active export-oriented RMG factories, including their subcontracting factories, so that all RMG workers in Bangladesh are afforded a safe working environment.
The Compact partners also recognised need for undertaking remediation and transparent monitoring through the DIFE (Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments) website of all export-oriented RMG factories.
They also underlined the need to consult on further amendments to Bangladesh’s labour related legal framework towards ensuring full compliance with core ILO Conventions and to address the conclusions and recommendations of the ILO supervisory bodies.
The partners recognised the importance for brands and retailers to adopt practices that promote responsible business conduct in global supply chains. They encouraged brands and retailers to adopt a uniform code of conduct for factory audits in Bangladesh.
“The commitment of the partners to Bangladesh remains strong.  The European Union and the United States, in close cooperation with the ILO, remain closely engaged with the Government of Bangladesh and stakeholders, including the RMG industry in Bangladesh, to help ensure that the further development and the sustainability of the RMG sector in Bangladesh advances in line with improved workers’ rights and safety,” said the statement. During the two roundtables held during the course of the day, some Bangladeshi stakeholders laid emphasis on the fair prices of the products to put things right in the RMG factory sector. Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed, who was present at the concluding session as well as during the interaction with the media, also called for increasing price for the Bangladeshi products.