In spite of the industry cooperating with various agencies to create a safe work environment, there is an undercurrent of discontent at the way the factories are being audited. Indeed, when compliance audits become unreasonable it becomes very tough for the factory owners to even think of change. The industry has reacted sharply to the closure of 10 readymade garment factories recently, where they claim nothing much was wrong in terms of fire and structural compliance, based on the verbal report of the auditors of the Accord agreement. The owners of some of these factories have blamed Accord auditors – a team of inspectors sponsored by European buyers – for “forcing” a Government -formed review committee to shut those factories down on without filing proper written reports.
According to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), the Accord has produced only 10 complete inspection reports, although it has visited around 80 factories in the last six months and recommended halting production of at least 10 factories, not all of them as a result of complete inspection reports. There are allegations that the recommendations were mostly based on the inspectors’ whims. One of the factory owners, who is suffering due to Accord’s obstinate action angrily stated, “The Accord team does not have either the expertise or the equipment to properly inspect a factory.”
Among the many other allegations against the Accord, one is that it has so far not paid a penny as compensation to the workers of the closed factories, although it was handed over a fund by the European buyers for this purpose. Last year, the Labour Ministry formed a six-member review committee, tasked with evaluating Accord’s recommendations and close factories only if needed. The committee was formed on the basis of an agreement called the National Tripartite Plan of Action (NTPA) on Fire Safety and Structural Integrity in the Garment Sector of Bangladesh, and included among others the representatives of the Government , employers and workers associations, besides the foreign buyers also.
Prime Allegations…
• Accord team does not have the expertise or the equipment to properly inspect factories; audits on inspector’s whims.
• Despite claims Accord has not paid a penny as compensation to the workers of the closed factories.
• Accord is on a mission to destroy Bangladesh’s highest foreign currency earning industry to benefit other countries.
According to the agreement, the Accord team would send an email to the owner about two weeks before inspecting a factory. After inspection, they would hold a meeting with the Government review committee to discuss the findings and decide on next course of action. The committee and Accord try to find out the discrepancies between the original approved design and the actual structure. The Accord team verbally tells the committee about their findings following which the committee does some rough calculations and reach certain estimations. Yet, the industry claims that these agreed procedures are being violated and even the way factories are being tested for safety is not foolproof. While Rob Ways, Executive Director – Accord Bangladesh Operations, claims that they use ferro scanners and thermal imaging cameras to check structural compliance of factories, committee members claim that the Accord inspectors only used sledgehammers to check the material used in the columns.
Last month, the Accord team recommended to the review committee to temporarily shut down two factories – Fame Knitwear and Softex Cotton – both located in the same building in the capital’s Mirpur. They said the columns and the foundation of the building were not strong enough to bear the load. They also claimed to have found discrepancies between the original design and the actual structure. However, Md Moshiul Azam Shajal, Managing Director, Fame Knitwear and Director, BGMEA, claims that the Accord team did not conduct the “soil boring test” to ascertain the strength of the foundation. “How can they comment on the foundational weakness of the building without proper testing! I really now suspect that the Accord team might have come on a mission to destroy the highest foreign currency earning sector of the country’s economy, only to serve the interest of some other countries,” says a worried Shajal.
Corroborating Shajal’s claim, Mahbubur Rahman, officer of Dhaka Development Authority Rajuk, confirmed that a soil test was needed for determining the strength of the building’s foundation, going on to saying that there was absolutely nothing wrong with the structural design of the building. Rajuk or the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakka is the authority in charge of approving structural designs of the buildings erected within the capital. Interestingly, The Labour Ministry Review Committee does not have any representative from Rajuk. “The Accord team cannot say anything verbally and recommend closing a building. What they are doing is not the proper way. They have to give a certificate mentioning the tests they have conducted and also their results so that we can understand why the need to close the premises. If any building is unsafe, it should be written in a certificate,” adds Mahbubur.
Earlier this month, a member of the review committee informed that Accord had recommended closure of Attune Garments Ltd. also located in the same building as Fame Knitwear; however interestingly, Attune owner claims that the factory has been under lock and key for more than 15 years because of fund crunch. “Neither did I get any email from Accord team nor did anyone inspect my factory. I have no idea how the team could call for closing a factory that has been closed many years ago,” said surprised Towhid Islam, Managing Director, Attune.
According to the working norms of the review committee, even if one member disagrees with the Accord recommendations, the committee cannot shut down a factory. “The Accord team is kind of stubborn; during a meeting, our BUET specialists did not want to sign a closure order but they literally forced them to. Accord also did not give any money for remediation as is mentioned in their rules. They have a fund for the workers but the workers did not get any money from it. If the results are based on estimation then they are not correct. I am not a technical person so I do not understand. But, if the allegations are true then I will not sign. As far as I know, they use a formula for calculation,” states Shahidullah Azim, a member of the review committee, reacting to the controversy.
Refuting all the allegations on Accord, Rob Ways says, “The allegation is misplaced. Accord assessments are based on professional parameters, test of which are performed by highly qualified experts and not estimations.” When inquired about the name and qualification of the engineers, he did not give any direct answer. “Our engineers are very busy, so it is not possible to talk to them,” he said.
Absolutely disgusted and furious a few garment manufacturers who so far faced production suspension for non-compliance are also considering following in the footsteps of Softex Cotton Ltd. which served a legal notice to Accord demanding compensation worth US $ 100 million against the damage the factory would have incurred since shutting down the factory.
