The National Plan of Action for the Garment Industry of Bangladesh - Essay Example

The article for summary is Khan, Mohd Raisul Islam, and Christa Wichterich. Safety and labour conditions: the accord and the national tripartite plan of action for the garment industry of Bangladesh. No. 38. Global Labour University Working Paper, 2015. The collapse of Rana Plaza and fire at Tazreen Fashions in 2013 and 2012 respectively evidenced the unsafe working environments Readymade Garment Industry. It also expressed gaps in the labor relations in Bangladesh, the complex yet hidden policy frameworks of the RMG corporations and the severe costs of the regime to the lower end workers.

The two incidences triggered protest that facilitated the implementation of the Multi-stakeholder Accord on Fire and Building to boost the corporate environment and offered new dimensions in the occupational safety, health, and environmental reporting of the firms in Bangladesh. Besides, the disasters enabled the adoption of the National Tripartite Plan of Action (NTPA) at the local, regional, and international platforms (Khan and Wichterich 11). The Accord and NTPA offered the platform for collaboration of the stakeholders towards enhancing the safety of the workers.

It is in this regards that Khan and Wichterich aimed to assess the level of implementation, achievements, and possible hindrances towards the realization of the objectives. Immediately, the NTPA and the Accord attracted public admiration, and the implementers strived to attain the goals. Some of the primary initiatives comprised corrective action plans, capacity building, and inspection of the facilities. Despite the advantages of the strategies and great anticipation, the strategies have no noticeable impacts.

The findings indicate the presence of the gendered prejudice and the associated mishandling of the workers according to their genders. It also shows that the labor power and collective bargain is at the preliminary phase. However, the findings evidence significant progress to advance the occupational health and safety. Predominantly, the findings indicate a clash of power negotiations in the global apparel chains with a particular focus on the RMG accumulation (Khan and Wichterich 36). Given the magnitude of the responsibility and public expectations, the study realized minimal advancement that raises issues about the seriousness of the target agency and stakeholders.

The responsible institutions and stakeholders lost focus and the associated power structures hinder the realization of the goals. The NTPA and the Accord implementation, for instance, experience the restraints of the decision-making procedures that characterize the multinational apparel industries. In addition, the power imbalance and conflict of interest between the multi-stakeholders hinder the full execution of the policies. Moreover, the Accord Institute produced an uncomprehensive action plan that disregard the agreement requiring the inclusion of the entire manufacturing and production chains in Bangladesh.

Lack of enough finance also hinders the implementation of the corrective action plans besides the perceived high operation costs. In addition, the power struggles also affect the role of government towards ensuring compliance with the agreements. Even though the plans are still at the preliminary level of implementation, they indicate a paradigm shift and the conformity to the stipulations of the International Labor Organization (ILO) The ratification of the Accord by the domestic and the international entrepreneurs denote the acceptance of accountability for the factory environment.

Therefore, the state should collaborate with the relevant stakeholders to promote strict regulatory measures, develop vibrant monitoring procedures, and ensure the independence of the trade unions. Moreover, the stakeholders should integrate the civil society organizations and workers unions in critical decision-making aspects to improve the sustainability of the work environments and the full implementation of the Accord and NTPA. Work Cited Khan, Mohd Raisul Islam, and Wichterich, Christa. Safety and labour conditions: the accord and the national tripartite plan of action for the garment industry of Bangladesh. No. 38.

Global Labour University Working Paper, 2015.