Quick dispute resolution for garment workers

The government is set to form an alternative dispute resolution body this month in a bid to give garment workers a proper channel to raise their complaints and get them solved, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said yesterday.
At present, when garment workers lose their jobs or are mistreated by management, they go to random places to complain and consequently, never get proper solutions, Ahmed said after a meeting with US Ambassador Dan W Mozena to discuss the progress made towards the GSP action plan.
“So, we have decided to form the ADR [Alternative Dispute Resolution],” he said.
The initiative will strengthen the relationship between the workers and the owners as representatives from all stakeholders will be present in the body, Ahmed said.
Such platforms have yielded “good results” in resolving the garment sector disputes in countries like Cambodia and in the country's shrimp sector, he added.
The details of the proposed ADR will be thrashed out later, Mahbub Ahmed, senior secretary at the commerce ministry, said.

“My aspiration is that the garment sector of Bangladesh transforms itself and comes to international standards in terms of fire safety, in terms of structural soundness, in terms of workers' rights,” Mozena said after the meeting.
“For example, some inspectors were just hired and more are being hired—this is a very positive step.”
The government plans to recruit the remaining inspectors by the end of the month through the Public Service Commission.
Mozena said the first meeting of the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement will be held in Dhaka on April 28.