ALLIANCE-AFFILIATED RMG UNITS : 50pc defects still unaddressed

Half of the faults identified at the readymade garment factories doing business with the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety are still unaddressed, the Alliance said in a progress report on Wednesday.
In the Progress Report April 2016, the Alliance, a group of major North American apparel brands, said to date the factories listed with the group have carried out 49.5 per cent of the repairs required.
The Alliance said it has completed inspection of 677 of the factories.
As of March 2016, a total of 24 RMG factories have fully implemented the remediation process prescribed by the global retailers’ platform, said a report titled Protecting and Empowering Bangladesh’s Garment Workers.
In the past three years, the Alliance has achieved significant progress in realizing its commitment to ensure the safety of workers at Bangladesh’s ready-made garment factories, said Ellen O’Kane Tauscher, independent chair of the Alliance.
She said the Alliance has continued to partner with the government review panel to enforce safety standards.
It has already cut ties with 77 factories due to structural defects and insufficient remediation progress, she said.
‘By rescinding the sourcing rights from these factories, we have sent a strong message that we will not do business with those that fail to comply with Alliance safety standards,’ Tauscher said, adding that as a result of these efforts, the Alliance-affiliated factories are now considerably safer.
‘Having reached the halfway mark of our five-year initiative, much of the hard work of remediation lies ahead and our commitment now is more important than ever,’ she said.
The progress in remedying factory safety issues is significant, but remains slower than projected due to political unrest, lack of qualified engineers, the time-consuming yet required import of vital safety equipment not available in Bangladesh, said the report.
The Alliance also said natural disasters such as the 2014 earthquake in the neighbouring Nepal have all imposed delays to the remediation process.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net