Accord and Alliance must go in 2018, says Tofail

Commerce minister Tofail Ahmed on Monday said that the government would not extend the operation tenure of the Accord and the Alliance scheduled to end in July 2018.
In the inaugural ceremony of a three-day ‘International Trade Expo for Building and Fire Safety’ at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital Dhaka, the commerce minister said the Accord on Fire and Building Safety and Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety were trying to
extend their tenure in Bangladesh.
Elevate, an American business advisory service firm, in association with the Alliance, the North American buyers group, and the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association organised the expo.
Thirty-six companies including 13 global vendors are showcasing fire door, hydrant and pump, sprinkler, fire alarm, detection and protection
machinery and services at the expo.
‘The tenure will not be extended neither for a single day nor even for a second as Bangladesh is now a safe place and we are better than others,’ Tofail said.
‘As Bangladesh is a safe place and we are better than others, the buyers’ community can increase order volume to help prosper the country,’ he said.
After the Rana Plaza building collapse, which killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, in April 2013, North American retailers formed the Alliance while the European buyers formed the Accord undertaking a five-year plan. The plan set timelines and accountability for conducting inspections and giving training, and workers’
empowerment programmes.
The Rana Plaza does not reflect the whole scenario of the Bangladesh RMG industry and the government took a lot of initiatives to ensure safety of factory workers following the tragic incident, the commerce minister said.
BGMEA president Siddiqur Rahman promised that 100 per cent of factory remediation would be completed by 2016.
He also demanded low-cost remediation financing for small and medium enterprises.

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