Labour Signatories of the Bangladesh Accord, Global Union and IndustriALL Global Union, have on 12 May (Wednesday), reportedly, given notice of withdrawing from the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC) in Bangladesh on 1 June.
This was underlined in an article that appeared on IndustriALL’s website (https://www.industriall-union.org).
The report underlined that it was not acceptable by global unions to replace what they called ‘extremely effective Accord model with an alternative proposal from brands derived from the failed approaches of the decades prior to the Rana Plaza industrial homicide’ even as the report went on to add that global apparel brands have insisted upon a new framework for the future in the recent months, which the global unions felt ‘discards the key elements that have led to the Accord’s success in making garment factories in Bangladesh safe for workers…’
Speaking on the issue, Valter Sanches, the IndustriALL Global Union General Secretary, reportedly, maintained that the brands’ proposal of self-monitoring was a dangerous step backwards and undermines the credibility of the programme…, while UNI Global Union General Secretary Christy Hoffman stated, “Instead of bargaining over the next phase of our joint safety work in Bangladesh, the brands have pursued an ‘Accord Exit’ strategy designed to write away any meaningful role for unions in the future…”
