Retailers agree to renew a safety deal with Bangladeshi garment workers

26th August 2021, Mumbai:

The Bangladesh Accord, as it was known at the time, was set to expire on August 31. The new version, dubbed the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry to reflect its broader scope, goes into effect on September 1.

Major international retailers have reached a deal with Bangladeshi garment workers and factory owners for a two-year period, extending a previous accord that holds merchants subject to legal action if their factories fail to fulfil labour safety requirements.

The statement, which was signed by the deal's deputy director Joris Oldenziel and officials from UNI Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union, verifies the contents of a copy of the contract obtained by Reuters exclusively earlier on Wednesday. The statement stated, "This is a legally binding agreement between corporations and trade unions to ensure the safety of ready-made garment (RMG) and textile manufacturers." "The updated agreement builds on the foundations that made the previous deal effective." H&M, Inditex, Fast Retailing's Uniqlo, Hugo Boss, and Adidas were among the 200 shops who signed the agreement in 2013. On Sept. 1, a list of people who have also signed up for the extension will be made public, according to sources. 

Uniqlo has not yet seen the new deal, but they "generally welcome a new binding agreement... that has independent monitoring and may be expanded to additional countries," according to a spokesman. Requests for comment from H&M, Inditex, Hugo Boss, and Adidas were not immediately returned. The five-year agreement, which was reached in the aftermath of the Rana Plaza disaster in 2013, which killed over 1,100 garment workers, established an independent authority that conducted thousands of inspections and prohibited hazardous companies from supplying signatory buyers.

WATCH YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnQ6v9wBHyOlRPSDgJMsJaA