The majority of the reports pertaining to Bangladesh are more generic in nature , and taking Rana Plaza as the starting point , these reports analyse how much work has been done or not done . According to Bangladesh NGO Affairs Bureau ’ s latest report , at present 2,565 NGOs operate in Bangladesh ’ s readymade garment sector , mostly with foreign assistance . Almost all of them are working for workers ’ upliftment with varying degrees of success . Most of the reports on ‘ 5 years after Rana Plaza ’ share common ideas , and the brief that The Clean Clothes Campaign has given in its latest report , sums up very aptly what most of the reports are talking about and the concerns that follow …
“ In the first two years , it seemed that such promises were more than just lip service paid to reassure a shocked public . Within a year of the disaster , there had been revision of the Labour Act , and the minimum wage was increased from Taka 3,000 to Taka 5,300 BDT ( which is currently about 51 Euro ). Labour unions used their new-found space for organising and the number of
|
The Asia Floor Wage Alliance ( AFWA ) has come up with three separate reports which claim that the women workers who work at the supplier units of leading fashion retail players like H & M , GAP Inc . and Walmart are at risk of assault , sexual abuse , and other harassment every day . |
registered unions hence jumped . The Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety was signed by the majority of major brands sourcing from Bangladesh and – as a result – garment factories were subject to credible and meaningful inspections for the first-time ever … Yet , such action could only truly amount to fundamental change , if firstly they applied to the whole industry , and not just Bangladesh ; and if secondly , they were sustained over time . Five years on , although improvements have undoubtedly been made to fire and building safety in Bangladesh , this success has not led to the development of similar initiatives elsewhere , and the initial gains in labour law , trade union rights and wages have not only stagnated but are also now being eroded .”
Questions raised on GSP facility …
One such report pertains to a complaint put forth by principal complainant International Trade Union Confederation ( ITUC ) with Clean Clothes Campaign ( CCC ) and HEC-NYU EU Public Interest Clinic as additional complainants , which
|
raised serious question on European Union ’ s continuance of GSP facility to Bangladesh .
In their complaint to the European Ombudsman , the organisations alleged maladministration in the European Commission ’ s failure to launch an investigation into Bangladesh ’ s status under the GSP Regulation . As per the complaint , the Commission ’ s current process for determining whether to investigate a GSP beneficiary country is opaque and does not include any meaningful opportunity for NGOs or other third parties to participate .
“ Bangladesh has committed serious and systematic violations of workers ’ fundamental rights . Conditions are unsafe for millions of workers in Bangladesh . Additionally , the labour laws of Bangladesh create significant obstacles to the exercise of the right to freedom of association , to organise and to bargain collectively . Further , the Government has not effectively enforced even these flawed laws , and workers ’ complaints to authorities are routinely ignored . Without bargaining power or legal recourse , workers have been forced to live in extreme poverty ,”
|