n eight-member delegation of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is visiting Bangladesh mainly to develop a detailed plan to improve safety and workers' rights in readymade garment (RMG) factories.
Their visit also aims to cover areas including training and capacity building of the Directorate concerned, employers, mid-level managements and trade union leaders, a statement issued by ILO said Sunday.
The delegation comprising representation from Geneva, Bangkok and New Delhi along with a senior representative from the ILO International Training Centre (ITC) in Turin, Italy will meet with the labour minister and the labour secretary during their week-long stay in Dhaka to discuss the ILO plans, it said.
The mission will also hold discussion with the newly appointed Inspector General of Factories and Establishments along with a team of the incumbent and new inspectors to conduct a detailed assessment of the training and capacity building needs of the Directorate and develop a three-year partnership plan.
They will also meet with the leaders of Bangladesh Employers Federation, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and two trade union bodies - the National Coordination Committee for Workers Education (NCCWE) and the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC) to prepare plans for capacity development of employers, mid-level managers, supervisors, trade union leaders and workers on occupational safety and health and workers' rights issues.
Welcoming Bangladesh government's move to upgrade the Chief Inspector of Factories and Establishments office to a 'Directorate', the ILO said it is an important step in the implementation of one of the commitments agreed by the government in the National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity and the EU Sustainability Compact issued on July 8, 2013.
The government issued orders on January 15 last sanctioning 679 new staff positions in the Directorate including 392 new inspector positions. With this upgrade, the number of labour and factory inspectors will increase to a total of 575 from the current 183 positions.
The ILO considers this to be a significant step towards improving safety and workers' rights in Bangladesh garment industry, the statement said adding, the ILO Country Office for Bangladesh is preparing detailed plans for the development of the capacity of the new Directorate, including training the new inspectors during the next three years.
"The upgrading of the inspection services is a significant milestone in our joint efforts to strengthen the capacity of the government, employers and workers' organisations in addressing the working conditions, safety and workers' rights issues in Bangladesh", said Srinivas B Reddy, Country Director of ILO Bangladesh.
"During the visit of the delegation, the development of partnerships will be explored with a wide range of institutions. We will be targeting the capacity development of national master trainers who will then in close partnership with national institutions train a large number of government officials, factory owners, managers, supervisors and trade union leaders on safety and workers' rights, creating a cascading effect," he added.
The activities will be rolled out under a number of ILO projects and programmes on working conditions, fire safety and workers' rights funded by Canada, the Netherlands, UK DFID, the US Department of Labor, Norway, and Switzerland, the statement added.
FE report
