Let’s all pull together on apparel industry safety

Bangladesh apparel industry stands at a critical juncture. The industry has achieved significant improvements in safety and is making steady strides in sustainability. However, the industry, at present, faces a debacle as debates regarding its safety monitoring authority have risen. The current safety arrangement under which our garment factories are being inspected is the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC). The RSC took over the work of the Bangladesh Accord, the previous agreement which had been operating in Bangladesh since 2013.

When the transition Accord was signed in 2018, it was agreed by the signatory brands and unions that after the agreement ends in May 31, 2021, work will be handed over to a national regulatory body who would take over the work thereafter. As part of this transition, in May 2020, the Accord operations in Bangladesh were transferred to the then newly founded RMG Sustainability Council (RSC).

Many have hailed the huge success of the Accord in helping to make Bangladesh one of the safest garment industries in the world. There are also calls to replicate the Bangladesh Accord in other garment sourcing hubs.

However, at the time of writing this article, there has been talk of a "New Accord". Only a couple of fashion brands have expressed public support for this "New Accord" and most are in the "wait and see what happens" camp; it's the unions and NGOs who are flagging their favour for the "New Accord". And things are moving fast.

First of all, we saw NGOs warning that much of the Accord's work would be undone if the RSC becomes the sole authority of factory safety in Bangladesh. The NGOs' argument is that the Accord is the only "credible" workplace safety initiative in the global garment industry. They also claim that a local body like the RSC will not have the "teeth" of the Bangladesh Accord and may be subject to too much political interference from factory owners and the government.

Just in the middle of this month, global unions gave notice to withdraw their involvement with the RSC from June 1. This is probably the last throw of the dice by unions in their attempt to get the work of the Bangladesh Accord extended beyond the end of May.

The unions claim that, by withdrawing their support, they will remove the credibility of the RSC as an effective workplace safety body. In effect, they are trying to force the hands of brands and retailers—saying to them, "come to the table and help us get a new Accord off the ground."

On the other hand, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BGMEA) has argued that the RSC, along with a government body called Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), are perfectly capable of ensuring the highest standard of monitoring, inspections and certifications of health, safety and securities of the workers of Bangladesh RMG factories.

So, is there a way forward?

The original Accord was established with the backing of a few "anchor" brands and once they had joined, others followed. It's looking like there is simply not enough will on the part of brands now to extend the Accord anymore. The reasons for this are many and varied although the global pandemic has surely played its part.

The factory owners are also happy to place their faith in the new body, the RSC.  The main reason behind that is that they want a level-playing field with their competitors in India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

I have sympathy for both sides of the debate and there are no easy solutions here. For my own part I would say a safety body that is independent to monitor and support factory safety and improvements should be mandatory in Bangladesh.

Any agreement for factory safety needs consensus. If an agreement cannot be reached for a new Accord—if all parties simply do not want one and it is only unions and NGOs pushing for it—then we have to respect that position. Broad support for a new Accord is tepid at best.

What is paramount is that we all should work for ensuring safety in the industry. I will support any safety structure we choose to go with and it looks like the RSC is the way we will go. I believe safety is not a matter of imposition, it's more of having a culture and acceptance.

The way external forces—the Accord and Alliance—supported us to transform the industry, the same way they should support us to build national capacity. In fact, nothing has happened in between so that the initiative like RSC can be thrown away. In fact, there is equal representation of brands, trade unions and manufacturers on the board of directors of the RSC. This RSC also adopted all Accord standards, compliance, protocols and articles. So, everyone should give the RSC a minimum of three years to prove its mettle. The RSC, on the other hand, should maintain maximum transparency and accountability. Periodic information about the progress of RSC's work made available for the public can help build the required trust in it.

Mostafiz Uddin is the Managing Director of Denim Expert Limited. He is also the Founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Exchange (BAE) and Bangladesh Denim Expo.