Better Work forum applauds progress, calls for more actions
The Better Work Bangladesh programme held its second stakeholder and buyer forum in Dhaka yesterday where experts lauded its impact on the garment sector and also called for stepping up efforts to improve working conditions and increase factories' competitiveness.
Some 300 national and international garment sector representatives attended the forum, including partners from the government, employer associations and unions, as well as 80 members from international brands, according to a statement of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) .
“We are here to unite diverse stakeholders, promote decent work for all and help the garment industry in Bangladesh thrive,” said Louis Vanegas, programme manager of the Better Work Bangladesh programme, in the statement.
The Better Work Bangladesh programme is a partnership between the ILO and the International Finance Corporation. It aims to contribute to improving the life of the workers, their families and their communities, and increase the competitiveness of the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh.
Vanegas said the Better Work programme is currently engaging 120 factories and helping shift the mindset of garment employers in Bangladesh from seeing compliance as an obligation to being a business necessity that makes them more competitive.
Srinivas Reddy, director of the ILO country office, said following its launch in 2014, the Better Work programme has introduced an entirely new concept of supporting garment factories to boost their compliance while at the same time enhancing productivity.
“I firmly believe that the Better Work programme can make a valuable contribution to the working conditions and competitiveness of individual factories. It can also help take the industry to the next level,” Reddy said.
Bangladesh Employers' Federation Secretary-General Farook Ahmed said the programme could help achieve the 2021 goals and elevate the country's status to middle-income nation.
He said the programme needs to be flexible taking into account Bangladesh's ground reality.
Miran Ali, a director of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said Bangladesh's garment sector is on its way to becoming the most sustainable and transparent industry in the world.
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