The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh has yet to hand over safety monitoring responsibility to the Remediation Coordination Cell, a government-formed body. Accord has expressed interest in handing over safety monitoring responsibility of 100 fully-remediated readymade garment factories without mentioning any time frame. Accord has not mentioned even the name of any factories in its handover document.

Following the Rana Plaza building collapse in April 2013 that killed more than 1,100 people, mostly garment workers, European Union retailers formed the Accord. This platform has so far inspected more than 1,600 readymade garment factories. Accord-listed factories have completed more than 89 per cent of remediation works while 172 factories have completed 100 per cent remediation.

The tenure of the platform ended in May this year and it was given a six-month transition period that will end on November 30 this year. Accord was an unprecedented, independent, legally binding agreement between trade unions and brands. The Bangladesh readymade garment industry is undoubtedly safer, and lives have been saved.

Global stakeholders, including buyers, trade unions and investors, have requested Bangladesh to allow the operation of Transition Accord till a national body is ready to take over factory safety responsibility.