President candidate introduces panel
ABM Shamsuddin, a former vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), on Saturday introduced the panel from which he would be contesting for the president post to the association's biennial election scheduled for April 4.
Addressing the introductory meeting at The Westin Dhaka, he said the inflow of work orders for apparel would continue to grow in the near future because of Bangladesh's production capacity and troubles in some competing countries.
The international clothing retailers and brands have been diverted to Bangladesh with work orders because of political troubles in Ethiopia and Myanmar and loss of the Generalised System of Preferences by Cambodia, he said.
Vietnam does not have that much of the capacity to cater to additional work orders, he said, explaining why Bangladesh had become the prime destination for retailers and brands.
"We need to get ready to do the business. We will have to face a lot of challenges in future like price falls. We have seen a fall in prices in the EU, USA and even in non-traditional markets," said Shamsuddin.
"Prices of garment items fell by 4.75 per cent over the last four years," he said.
"We are not getting prices despite having so many green factories. Only construction of green factories is not adequate, the buyers will also have to come up with green prices," he said.
"We've got numerous hurdles to overcome. The first and foremost is addressing the fall in prices. To sustain ourselves we have to fight together against it. We must not show any weakness that can give buyers a leverage," he said.
BGMEA President Rubana Huq said the most important achievement of the association's outgoing board was improving owner-worker relations. "It is possible if we want to work," she said.
She also mentioned the government's contributions for the interests of the sector when the Covid-19 fallouts were the most severe.
"The Accord and Alliance governed us for seven years," she said, adding that the RMG Sustainability Council was formed for better monitoring of the sector's safety.
Bangladesh National Building Code has been changed and a separate chapter is being incorporated in it, she said.
Bangladesh was given a special paragraph by International Labour Organization because the European Union raised questions about Bangladesh due to labour unrests. "We have tackled it very intelligently," she said.
Digital membership card is important at the BGMEA as health insurance will be provided soon, she said.
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