Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said that it won’t take responsibility for any problem arising during the execution of sub-contract activities with non-member factories.
However, they will extend their full support to the member factories if the relevant committee is notified of the need to carry out sub-contract activities.
The apex trade body of the apparel sector informed its member factories in a notification issued recently, based on the first meeting of its standing committee on subcontracting on August 10, presided over by BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim.
Moreover, the BGMEA also advised its member factories to inform the trade body’s customs cell if any dispute or complaint arises.
Factories not affiliated with BGMEA and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), the country’s top two apparel sector trade bodies, were left out of the investigation that followed the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013.
At least 3,500 factories were visited by Accord and Alliance, two initiatives of the Western buyers, and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
However, all these visited factories were members of either BGMEA or BKMEA.
In the non-member sub-contracting factories, there are complaints of various irregularities including making workers work extra, not having fire safety measures, and operating factories with non-standard infrastructure.
Speaking to the media, Shahidullah Azim said that it is true that subcontract factories play an important role but, in many cases, crises related to safety and other issues arise.
But they will not take any responsibility if the factories that have been granted the subcontracts are not members of BGMEA or BKMEA.
Comment here