Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- Factory inspection system should be transparent and efficient enough to ensure workers' safety in the garment industry, speakers at a seminar said.
The suggestion came at a three-day training programme for factory inspectors conducted by a team of compliance professionals from German Development Cooperation and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
All inspectors from the general, health and safety wings of the inspection department under the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoLE) will participate in the training.
Md Mujibul Haque, state minister for labour and employment during the inauguration ceremony said after the country's worst-ever industrial tragedies, Rana Plaza building collapse and the fire incident in Tazreen Fashions last year, the government of Bangladesh has upgraded the inspection directorate and opened 679 new positions, including 392 slots for new inspectors.
"The government has already appointed new inspectors and recruitment of many more are also in the pipeline," he added.
"We need to ensure workers' safety by implementing a strict, transparent and efficient factory inspection system. Our government will continue to support the efforts to improve the situation on the ground," Dr. Ferdinand von Weyhe, Chargé d'Affaires of the German Embassy in Dhaka said. "This reflects our political commitment.
The follow-up meeting of the "EU-Bangladesh Sustainability Compact" that will take place in Brussels on 20 October 2014 will send a clear signal in this regard, he added.
Acting Country Director, GIZ and Programme Coordinator, PSES, Magnus Schmid, in his speech said his agency will offer practical training for the inspectors in partner factories.
"GIZ has a long-standing relationship with the Ministry of Labour and Employment and the ILO through many interventions with the aim to strengthen the capacity of the labor inspectors to conduct comprehensive inspections," Schmid added.
According to Mr Schmid, Germany is committed to assisting Bangladesh to improve working conditions and safety standards in the readymade garment sector.
BBN/SSR/AD-20Oct14-12:32 pm (BST)