Bangladesh Sustainability Compact
European Parliament discusses progress of Bangladesh Sustainability Compact
In an address to the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament, the ILO welcomed the progress resulting from the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact, and encouraged the government of Bangladesh to ensure conformity of its labour laws with ILO core labour standards.
22 September 2015
On 22 September the Committee on International Trade of the European Parliament organized an exchange of views with stakeholders on the progress of the implementation of the Sustainability Compact in Bangladesh. The International Labour Organization was invited to contribute to the discussion.
The “Sustainability Compact”, an agreement between the EU and the Bangladeshi government with the support of the ILO, aims to promote continuous improvements in labour rights and factory safety in the ready-made garment and knitwear industry in Bangladesh. ILO-Brussels Director Claire Courteille-Mulder explained to the Committee that the Compact has brought about improvements in the working conditions in the garment sector in Bangladesh. She also stressed that the Compensation Fund - administrated by the ILO - has now reached the 30 million dollars required to enable the scheme to make full payments to all victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
Furthermore, progress has notably been booked with regard to labour inspection and building safety. The total number of labour inspectors in the Bangladeshi garment sector has increased significantly and 90% of the export producing factories have been checked. The ILO has recently launched a comprehensive labour inspection strategy for Bangladesh, including a comprehensive training programme.
However, Ms Courteille-Mulder also underlined that “much more needs to be done, in particular to ensure conformity of labour laws with ILO core labour standards”. She encouraged the government of Bangladesh to follow the recommendations of the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards of June 2015.
The ILO as well as several Members of the European Parliament stressed the need for all partners to stay engaged and to keep the momentum going. MEPs will discuss the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact in a plenary session next week.
The “Sustainability Compact”, an agreement between the EU and the Bangladeshi government with the support of the ILO, aims to promote continuous improvements in labour rights and factory safety in the ready-made garment and knitwear industry in Bangladesh. ILO-Brussels Director Claire Courteille-Mulder explained to the Committee that the Compact has brought about improvements in the working conditions in the garment sector in Bangladesh. She also stressed that the Compensation Fund - administrated by the ILO - has now reached the 30 million dollars required to enable the scheme to make full payments to all victims of the Rana Plaza tragedy.
Furthermore, progress has notably been booked with regard to labour inspection and building safety. The total number of labour inspectors in the Bangladeshi garment sector has increased significantly and 90% of the export producing factories have been checked. The ILO has recently launched a comprehensive labour inspection strategy for Bangladesh, including a comprehensive training programme.
However, Ms Courteille-Mulder also underlined that “much more needs to be done, in particular to ensure conformity of labour laws with ILO core labour standards”. She encouraged the government of Bangladesh to follow the recommendations of the ILO Committee on the Application of Standards of June 2015.
The ILO as well as several Members of the European Parliament stressed the need for all partners to stay engaged and to keep the momentum going. MEPs will discuss the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact in a plenary session next week.