Remember the 2012 devastating fire incident in Tazreen Fashions Limited, the subcontracting garment manufacturing unit in Dhaka, which killed 112 garment workers?
It is against this backdrop that the Government adopted the National Tripartite Plan of Action on Fire Safety in the Readymade Garment Sector of Bangladesh, which promised to devise subcontracting guidelines following widespread and global focus on safety in Bangladesh apparel sector. Structural Integrity was included in the same following the 2013 Rana Plaza disaster that claimed more than 1,100 lives.
Following up on the same, the Bangladesh Government recently finalised the subcontracting guidelines, as part of which it has been made mandatory for subcontracting factories to have membership of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
The Commerce Ministry on 27 May 2019 issued the RMG sector subcontracting guidelines as per which, only the compliant factories will be eligible for subcontracting and an agreement in writing between exporter and factory authorities is mandatory for the same.
The Commerce Ministry has issued the guidelines through a circular.