The Bangladesh government will recruit 60 additional factory inspectors by October in line with its efforts to regain the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) in the US market. These inspectors will review readymade garment factories.
About 30 teams of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology will inspect some 1,750 factories. Four inspectors have already been appointed.
Earlier, after a devastating fire broke out in a factory, the government formed a committee comprising 11 ministers to oversee fire safety in the apparel sector with a view to resolving different problems in the country’s largest export earning sector.
The labor ministry with assistance from the International labor organisations will start inspecting the remaining garment factories that are outside the safety inspection program by the EU Accord and US Alliance by September 15.
A meeting will be held on September 7 to prepare an unified checklist of safety inspection where representatives from the ILO, Accord, Alliance, government officials, garment owners, workers representatives will also be present. Issues like implementation of a tripartite plan of action on fire and building and the steps taken to regain the GSP in the US market will also be taken up.
