The MoU aims to enable factory committees to build and maintain a healthy relationship among both workers and management representatives of each committee.

It follows the partnership the BGMEA signed on 23 January 2022, with the International Labour Organization (ILO) last month, toward a continued momentum of workplace safety in the garment industry of Bangladesh.,  

Under the Bangladesh Labour Act, Safety Committees are mandatory for all organisations with 50 or more employees. These committees - made of an equal number of workers' and employers' representatives - are responsible for implementing, monitoring and communicating on safety issues in the workplace.

Under the agreements signed with BGMEA, 700 safety committee members from 75 garment factories will be trained on occupational safety and health (OSH), hazard identification and risk assessment, construction safety culture, fire incident management and COVID-19 guidelines.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan said: “The safety of our workers is our priority. Hence, we joined hands with the ILO to invest in strong and functional safety committees which will help our industry to overcome the safety and health crisis posed by the pandemic and mitigate other occupational risks.”

In this context, the MoU signed on February goes one step further, by providing that BGMEA master trainers, who have received a five-day training, will train several factory committee members in participating member factories to develop their skills and function more effectively.

Dr Michael Klode, GIZ project coordinator Sustainability in the Textile and Leather Sector (STILE), commented that GIZ’s objective is to enjoy the benefits of constructive dialogue and communication between management, supervisors, and workers in the factory.