Tofail asks Accord to pay workers of closed factories
Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday asked Accord, a platform of 150 clothing retailers and brands mostly from Europe, to pay half of the salaries of the workers who lost jobs temporarily due to factory inspection.
The instruction came as Alliance, another such panel of 27 US retailers and brands, has started doing the same.
The minister was briefing reporters after a meeting with the officials of Accord, Alliance, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association and other stakeholders, at his secretariat in Dhaka.
The meeting was called to clear misunderstandings that arose out of the ongoing factory inspection.
So far, 1,000 factories were inspected and 16 were closed due to structural faults.
“The number (of closed units) is less than 2 percent of the total factories that were inspected. It's good news for us. Our factories are less vulnerable,” the minister said, adding that no industrial accident took place after the Rana Plaza building collapse.
“So, this is also a good message for us that the owners have become more cautious about workplace safety.”
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