A delegation of BGMEA led by President Faruque Hassan met with Ms. Sharan Burrow, General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) in Brussels on February 22.

This is the first-ever official visit by a delegation from BGMEA to ITUC, which included Vice President Miran Ali and Directors Asif Ashraf, Tanvir Ahmed and Abdullah Hil Rakib.

Ms. Alison Tate, Director, Economic and Social Policy, and Paapa Danquah, Director, Legal, ITUC were also present at the meeting.

In the meeting the BGMEA leaders apprised the ITUC General Secretary about the exemplary progress made by Bangladesh’s garment industry, particularly in the areas of workplace safety, decent working conditions, workers’ rights and their wellbeing. 

They shed light on how massive training, awareness raising initiatives over these years were put in place to create the culture of safety, which covered occupational safety and health issues, as well as social dialogue and industrial relations. 

The government, factory owners and representative of workers’ organizations work in a spirit of cooperation and collaboration to resolve the labour-related disputes and maintain harmonious industrial relations for the greater interests of the RMG sector, the BGMEA leaders informed the ITUC.

They also shared with her the ongoing initiatives of the industry to ensure welfare of garment workers in Bangladesh and asserted the firm commitment of the RMG industry to continue efforts in these areas in the coming days.

In the meeting both BGMEA and ITUC leaders discussed possible avenues of cooperation and collaboration for the benefits of the RMG industry of Bangladesh and its more than 4 million workers.