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Bangladesh: Govt to begin garment factory inspections this month

Thirty expert panels led by Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will start inspecting garment factories by the end of this month to find structural flaws and ensure worker safety, a government official said yesterday.The inspection was supposed to start from September 15, but it was delayed due to a shortage of funds and the absence of a common checklist for inspection.

“The donor agencies have finally agreed to release the proposed fund worth US$ 24 million as expenditure for the inspection. We will sign an agreement with International Labour Organization for the fund,” said Mikail Shipar, secretary to the labour and employment ministry. “This time, I will not delay the launch of the inspection as the fund is ready. I hope the inspection will begin within two to three days of signing the ILO agreement.” Bangladesh’s chance to regain the generalized system of preferences to the US market largely depends on the early launch of the factory inspection that aims to ensure fire and building safety. The US government will review the GSP in December.

Three donors — the Netherlands government, the Canadian government and the Department for International Development (DFID) of the British government — will donate the proposed fund through the ILO, Shipar said. The Buet-led inspection is separate from two other inspections to be conducted by IndustriALL, a global trade union, and North American Alliance, a platform of 22 US-based retailers and brands, for worker safety in Bangladesh. “The Buet experts will inspect at least 2,000 factories. Those factories will not be inspected by IndustriALL and North American Alliance.”

The labor ministry will hold a meeting today with officials of IndustriALL and other stakeholders to finalize the common checklist, as the three parties will inspect a total of 4,000 factories to avoid repetition. Roy Ramesh, general secretary of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, said they agreed in principle for a common checklist. “The National Action Plan signed by Bangladesh government, the EU and ILO will be the baseline for factory inspection,” Ramesh said. The inspectors have also agreed to follow the Bangladesh National Building Code for inspection, Ramesh said.