Only five garment factories out of 1278 in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur are closed on Monday. There have been no significant disruptions in the garment industry in the major hubs including Savar, Ashulia, Narayanganj, and Gazipur, according to a government source. Only three factories out of a total of 407 in Savar and Ashulia areas remain closed while in Gazipur, two factories out of 871 are closed. Read: All RMG factories to reopen Thursday after safety assurances from Army: BGMEA The overall operation rate in these areas is high, with 99.26% of factories open. The closure rate stands at 0.74%. In Narayanganj, all garment factories are open. Read more: 60 RMG factories declare holiday amid protests in Savar

As ready-made garments (RMG) is Bangladesh’s largest export sector, speakers at a program called for establishing safety committees at all garment factories to ensure occupational health and safety of the workers. The function titled “Commemorating Rana Plaza Tragedy: Present OSH Situation in the RMG Sector and Way Forward” was organised by the Solidarity Center-Bangladesh Office at Hotel Asia, Paltan in the city under its USAID’s Workers’ Empowerment and Participation (WEP) Activity to commemorate the Rana Plaza Tragedy.  The speakers said that it has been 9 long years since the worst tragedy in the RMG sector in the country. Still there is a long way to go in terms of improving the health and safety conditions in the factories. Addressing the function Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labor and Employment Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan said: “We have the responsibility of finding the weaknesses of Safety Committees and resolving them accordingly”. There cannot be any negligence in their work nor corruption”, she said adding, the stakeholders have to identify the needs of Rana Plaza victims and assist them accordingly. Advocate AKM Nasim, Country Program Director, Solidarity Center, Bangladesh Office, said after the Rana Plaza tragedy, Accord, Alliance and now the RSC are working for a safer workplace. “We have advanced a lot but still how much the safety committees in factories are able to function is a question. Worker representatives should be allowed to play a stronger role in Safety Committees”, he said. Advocate Nazrul Islam, Program Officer at the Solidarity Center in his presentation highlighted that research needs to be conducted on weaknesses and challenges and how to make Safety Committees functional. He added that it is extremely vital to build the capacity of the members of Safety Committee on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) through training, orientation, learning visits, etc. READ: Speakers call for ensuring functional Safety Committees at RMG factories Professor Dr. Jakir Hossain said that institutional and legal framework should be strengthened to prevent any accidents from occurring in the future. Nazma Yesmin, Director at BILS said that the injured victims should be given long term medical treatment and health care facilities. Salauddin Shapon, President of Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (BRGWF) said that there were a lot of actions taken to overcome safety issues in the past few years but now the development has become stagnant. If a case is filed against employers, the workers have to wait for years before any progress is made. When a complaint was made to the Accord, it was addressed very quickly but any complaint submitted to the RSC takes months to be resolved”, he said. Participants called for improving building and fire safety for the workers and introducing trade union and Safety Committee in all the garment factories. Advocate A.K.M. Nasim, Country Program Director of the Solidarity Center, Salauddin Shapon, President of Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation, Dr. Jakir Hossain, Professor at Institute of Bangladesh Studies, Rajshahi University, Nazma Yesmin, Director at BILS and Advocate Md. Borkot Ali, Deputy Director (Legal) of BLAST spoke at the event. Representatives from USAID, ILO, SKOP, NCCWE, Sajeda Foundation, BLF, Labor Court Bar were also present in the event.

Speakers at a programme stressed the need  for establishing functional Safety Committees at all garment factories in the country to ensure occupational health and safety of the workers. The function titled “Commemorating Rana Plaza Tragedy: Present OSH Situation in the RMG Sector and Way Forward” was organised by the Solidarity Center-Bangladesh Office at Hotel Asia, Paltan in the city under its USAID’s Workers’ Empowerment and Participation (WEP) Activity to commemorate the Rana Plaza Tragedy.  Also read: BGMEA, CNN willing to team up to promote Bangladesh RMG industry The speakers said that it has been long nine years since the worst tragedy in the RMG sector in the country. Still there is a long way to go in terms of improving the health and safety conditions in the factories, they said. Addressing the function Member of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Labor and Employment Shamsunnahar Bhuiyan said, “We have the responsibility of finding the weaknesses of Safety Committees and resolving them accordingly.” There can neither be any negligence in their work nor corruption”, she said adding, the stakeholders have to identify the needs of Rana Plaza victims and assist them accordingly. Advocate AKM Nasim, Country Program Director, Solidarity Center, Bangladesh Office, said after Rana Plaza tragedy, Accord, Alliance and now the RSC are working for a safer workplace. “We have advanced a lot but still how much the safety committees in factories are able to function is a question. Worker representatives should be allowed to play a stronger role in Safety Committees”, he said. Advocate Nazrul Islam, Program Officer at the Solidarity Center in his presentation highlighted that research needs to be conducted on weaknesses and challenges and how to make Safety Committees functional. Also read: Let’s join hands to create brighter future for RMG industry: BGMEA He added that it is extremely vital to build the capacity of the members of Safety Committee on Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) through training, orientation, learning visits, etc. Professor Dr. Jakir Hossain said that institutional and legal framework should be strengthened to prevent any accidents in future. Nazma Yesmin, Director at BILS, said that the injured victims should be given long term medical treatment and health care facilities. Salauddin Shapon, President of Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation (BRGWF) said that a lot of actions were taken to overcome safety issues in the past few years but now the development has become stagnant.. Participants called for improving fire safety arrangements for the workers and introducing trade union and Safety Committee in all the garment factories. Advocate A.K.M. Nasim, Country Program Director of the Solidarity Center, Salauddin Shapon, President of Bangladesh Revolutionary Garment Workers Federation, Dr. Jakir Hossain, Professor at Institute of Bangladesh Studies, Rajshahi University, Nazma Yesmin, Director at BILS and Advocate Md. Borkot Ali, Deputy Director (Legal) of BLAST spoke at the event. Representatives from USAID, ILO, SKOP, NCCWE, Sajeda Foundation, BLF, Labor Court Bar were also present in the event.

Emphasizing the need for a smoother and more sustainable supply chain and sourcing of apparels, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Faruque Hassan has urged the US buyers to minimize multiple auditing of the factories to reduce the cost on the owners and offer higher prices for apparels from Bangladesh.  The BGMEA President, now visiting the US to promote Bangladesh’s apparel export to the US market, came up with the call while speaking at a roundtable in Washington, D.C. on Friday. The Bangladesh Embassy hosted the roundtable to brief the US government and relevant stakeholders on the ongoing efforts to improve factory safety and workers’ welfare in the readymade garment industry in Bangladesh and encourage more US import of Bangladeshi readymade garments.  Addressing the roundtable, Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States M Shahidul Islam said the government has long been undertaking various measures and initiatives to support the welfare of workers of the RMG industry. The roundtable titled “Seven years after Rana Plaza: Who’s doing what?” was participated by senior US government officials, including Christopher Wilson, Assistant US Trade Representative (USTR) for South Asia; William Jackson, Assistant USTR for Textiles;  and Jennifer Larson, Director for South and Central Asia of the US Department of State; Maureen Haggard, Director for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour of the US Department of State; BGMEA Vice President Miran Ali, Ambassador Teresita Schaffer from the McLarty Associates, representatives of US-Bangladesh Business Council, American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA), Walmart, Target,  as well as senior officials of the Bangladesh Embassy.  READ: EPB, BUFT sign deal to develop skills of mid-level managers of RMG factories The event was organized as BGMEA Faruque Hassan is now visiting the US to promote Bangladesh’s apparel export to the US market. In his presentation, Faruque Hassan highlighted various initiatives taken both by the Bangladesh government and his association, including establishment of the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) and formation of Tripartite Consultative Council (TCC) to sustain workplace safety and promote rights and welfare of the garment workers.  He briefed the participants about the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic to Bangladesh garment industry and how his association supported the workers during this difficult time, urged the US buyers to minimize multiple auditing of the factories to reduce cost on the owners and emphasized the need for a smoother and more sustainable supply chain and sourcing of apparels.  The BGMEA president also acknowledged the government’s generous contributions through the stimulus package in this regard.  In view of the increased minimum worker’s wage and incremental operational and production cost in Bangladesh, the BGMEA president requested the US buyers to offer higher and fair prices for apparels from Bangladesh.  He also urged the US government to consider a tariff reduction for Bangladeshi RMG products.   During the interactive session, Assistant USTR Christopher Wilson described the current US administration’s emphasis on welfare of the workers both at home and abroad.  Mentioning tariff issue as the prerogative of the US Congress, he underscored the need for constant and closer engagements between the two governments on labor and related issues.  The participants in the roundtable also discussed a range of other relevant issues, including empowerment of women workers in the industry, Covid-19 and vaccine support for the garment workers.  The participants appreciated the roundtable as an effective and timely initiative to exchange information on the important issue of workers’ welfare that have both economic and human rights dimensions.  READ: RMG factories to remain open amid 'all-out' lockdown: BGMEA president Ambassador Shahidul Islam concluded the roundtable by underlining the importance of taking comprehensive discussions and dialogues in all forums including TICFA to further promote trade and business between Bangladesh and the U.S. 

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Tuesday alleged that a chaotic situation has been created by reopening RMG factories amid the ongoing lockdown as workers’ lives have no value to the government. "RMG workers went through extreme sufferings while joining thier jobs. The government has created a messy situation by allowing the workers to go home and again bringing them back to work. Their lives seem to have no value,” he said. Speaking at a virtual discussion, the BNP leader said the government whimsically allowed the workers to go home amid Covid transmission before Eid-ul-Azha and thus helped spread the virus across the country. “They now asked them to come back amid the lockdown. The workes returned to Dhaka from Mymensingh, Manikganj, Munshiganj and other areas on foot to join their jobs. This is too much.” Read: Govt deceiving people over Covid vaccines: BNP Mannan-Nilufar Memorial Foundation arranged the programme, marking the first death anniversary of late BNP vice-chairman and ex-state minister Abdul Mannan. Fakhrul alleged that the government is least bothered about the sufferings of people and their lives and livelihoods as it is not elected by them. "This is the high time to stand up against this misrule. We have  to stand up against this monstrous regime that has been running the country without public mandate,” he said. Read: Covid situation turned terrible: BNP The BNP leader said a truly democratic government must be established to 'restore' people’s rights. "We all have to work together and move forward to make it happens.” Fakhrul recalled the contributions of Mannan to the country and BNP as an honest and responsible politician. Mannan, who served as the state minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism from 1991 to 1996, died on August 4 last year at the age of 78.

River vessels will be allowed to operate from Saturday evening to Sunday 12 pm to carry factory workers, said the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority (BIWTA) on Saturday. To carry the workers of RMG and export-oriented factories, the government has allowed the vessel movement, said a media release issued by the BIWTA in the evening. The BIWTA requested vessel owners, masters, drivers, staff and passengers to follow health guidelines during the period. Read: No decision yet on lockdown extension: Farhad Although public transport movement remained suspended, thousands of people started returning to Dhaka on the 9th day of the lockdown on Saturday following the government’s announcement that mills and factories will reopen on Sunday (Aug 1). Shimulia ferry terminal in Munshiganj saw a huge crowd as people from south western districts who were coming back to the capital to join their work. The vessel movement was suspended from July 23, 6 am as the government reimposed a countrywide ‘stricter’ lockdown till August 5, midnight as per a Cabinet Division’s order. Read: Covid kills 218 more in Bangladesh as its catastrophe continues Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the BIWTA, however, allowed vessels to carry passengers at half of their capacities on condition of maintaining health guidelines from July 14 midnight to 6am on July 23. A record rise in the number of Covid cases and fatalities in recent days prompted the government to enforce a nationwide stringent lockdown suspending all outdoor activities unless there is any emergency.

Business leaders  on Thursday requested the government to reopen garment factories and other industries amid the countrywide stringent lockdown. BGMEA President Farooq Hasan disclosed the information to the reporters after a meeting with Cabinet Secretary Khandaker Anwarul Islam at the Secretariat. Read: Farhad warns legal action if factories found open amid lockdown "We have requested the government to reopen industries. The cabinet secretary will take a quick decision after talking to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina,” he said. He hoped that the government will consider their request. Read: Export oriented factories to remain open amid 'strict lockdown' The government reinforced 14-day strict lockdown restrictions following Eid vacation till August 5. Unlike the all out restrictions before Eid, mills and factories were instructed to remain closed during this time. There are speculations that the government might extend the lockdown as the Covid infections are at its peak  shattering records of highest single day transmissions and deaths every other day.

Apparel factories would remain out of the purview of the "all-out lockdown" that will begin on July 1. The decision was made at a high-level meeting on Saturday, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Faruque Hassan said.  Also read: Nationwide lockdown from Monday, 'all out lockdown’ from July 1 Banks, ports and customs houses associated with the industries would remain open during the lockdown, said the BGMEA chief.   He requested all concerned parties to respect the government's decision, which is an attempt to bring positivity rates and fatalities down to get a second coronavirus wave under control. Also read: Export oriented factories to remain open amid ‘strict lockdown’ "It is expected of all its members and concerned parties to operate while strictly following all the health safety guidelines as stated by the BGMEA," said the BGMEA president.

The IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) on Sunday demanded six months’ fully paid maternity leave for workers at readymade garment (RMG) factories.

Most of the apparel factories did not follow the layoff rules amid the pandemic and around 3.57 lakh ready-made garment (RMG) workers lost jobs during this time.