The readymade garment (RMG) sector in Bangladesh has a great future and is in an excellent position to expand in the global market, Parliamentarian State Secretary of German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Hans-Joachim Fuchtel said after a three-day visit to Bangladesh, Dhaka Tribune reported.
Mr. Hans-Joachim visited Bangladesh this month to get further insights into the current state of the Bangladesh RMG sector, and met with the Commerce Minister of Bangladesh, Tofael Ahmed, factory owners and union representatives.
During the meeting, Minister Tofael Ahmed underlined that Bangladesh was on the right path towards better factory safety and improved working conditions in the RMG sector.
Acknowledging this, the German official emphasised that Germany was not only advocating for worker’s rights and safety standards, but that it has been a reliable partner for Bangladesh in terms of improvements in the RMG sector for many years.
Hans-Joachim said with their development cooperation, Germany will continue to support Bangladeshi companies and the Government of Bangladesh. Germany has provided training, and expertise to Bangladeshi garment workers, and its existing initiatives in the RMG sector has contributed to an improvement in safety standards and worker’s rights in Bangladesh.
Germany is one of the leading export nations of the world and therefore possesses a lot of knowledge that can also be valuable for Bangladesh. Hans-Joachim opined that frank and constructive dialogue between workers, owners and the Government can secure a rapid and sustainable development.
He said that European consumers are getting more conscious regarding production and safety standards in Bangladesh’s RMG factories. He added that Germany would be happy to invite important stakeholders from Bangladesh –especially representatives of labour unions from the RMG sector – to Germany.
A week ago the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development had initiated a new action plan in cooperation with stakeholders in the garment sector.
RMG is a strategic sector for the Bangladeshi economy, with an estimated 3,500 export factories in operation, providing employment for over 4.2 million workers. (GK)
