With an aim to ensure some compliance including workers' rights, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is planning to widen its Better Work (BW) program to 225 readymade garment factories of Bangladesh by mid-2017. Besides, other important objectives of the program are to help apparel makers enhance their competitiveness, create brand image and reduce audit burden on the global supply chain, said Louis B Vanegas, Program Manager of BW Bangladesh.

At present, 98 garment factories are registered with the BW Bangladesh program. In all, they employ 201,995 workers. As many as 31 foreign buyers partner with the program, while some 19 foreign buyers including H&M, Gap and PVH source apparel from those units. BW, a joint partnership of ILO and International Finance Corporation, was established in 2009 to improve working conditions, productivity, quality and competitiveness of garment factories in the global supply chains. At present, BW is in operation in seven countries namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Jordan, Haiti and Nicaragua and engages 1,300 factories employing more than 1.6 million workers.