Notwithstanding the controversies and the recent 6 months’ ban on its activities, safety platform Nirapon has found support from the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA).
The President and Chief Executive Officer of AAFA Rick Helfenbein has reportedly wrote to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently expressing concerns over reports of calls to suspend Nirapon.
“At a point when Bangladesh is poised to take advantage of the opportunities presented by today’s global market and expand, that growth is threatened by efforts to hinder the work of Nirapon and its transparent, independent, brand-backed commitment to worker safety,” Rick Helfenbein maintained in his letter to Hasina, while calling upon the Bangladesh Premier and other key stakeholders to fully support Nirapon.
It may be mentioned here that hearing a writ petition filed by Dragon Sweater and Spinning Limited recently, a High Court bench of Justice Moyeenul Islam Chowdhury and Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman issued an order banning Nirapon for 6 months.
The court further asked the platform to explain within 2 weeks why it should not be ordered to join the RMG Sustainability Council.
Earlier, Nirapon got embroiled in controversy with garment manufacturers alleging it of what they called creating confusion over safety standards besides adding new cost burden in the name of monitoring and training.
