DHAKA: Four Bangladeshi readymade garments (RMG) companies signed an agreement ‘The Declaration of Accession on the Partnership for Sustainable Textiles’ on Monday.
The disclosure came from a press release issued by German Embassy in Dhaka on Monday.
The agreement was initiated by Dr Gerd Müller, the German Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development
The four RMG companies are DBL Group, Niagara Textiles Ltd, Saiham Knit Composite Ltd and JMS Holdings.
The four companies have already been collaborating with GIZ, the German development agency and DEG, the German Investment and Development Corporation for many years to improve their social and environmental standards, the release added.
The release further said during the time of cooperation with Bangladeshi RMG enterprises, about 100,000 workers, factory managers, owners and labour inspectors have been trained on safety standards in the RMG sector.
Hans-Joachim Fuchtel, the German Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development, said, “We strongly believe that these good examples will be followed by many more soon.”
He also said, “The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development has already invested EUR 10 million in the “Partnership for Sustainable Textiles” and promises additional funds of EUR 6 million.”
At the signing ceremony, Fuchtel also introduced “Labourline”–a labour dispute settlement helpline, which provide information on labour-related issues and address shortcomings in resolving labour disputes.
The helpline will support factory workers by settling disputes with owners and managers to ensure their rights.
On December 7, 2014, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurated the Dhaka Apparel Summit 2014 with Hans-Joachim Fuchtel.
During his three-day visit to Bangladesh Fuchtel has been promoting the “Partnership for Sustainable Textiles,” which aims at social, environmental and economic improvements in Bangladesh’s ready-made garments (RMG) sector.
BDST: 1106 HRS, DEC 09, 2014
