Accord and Alliance, the two western buyers' platforms working to improve safety in Bangladesh readymade garments sector, will leave the country when their tenure ends in May 31 next year if remediation of factories is properly completed. The platforms arrived at a consensus after meeting Bangladesh commerce minister Tofail Ahmed in Dhaka recently.

The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety is a consortium of North American brands and buyers, and The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh is a platform of European brands and buyers. The two platforms started working in Bangladesh after the Rana Plaza accident.

During the meeting, both sides decided to constitute a remediation coordination cell with representatives from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), global brands and trade unions to oversee workplace safety situation in the readymade garments (RMG) sector.
A steering committee will run the cell and the labour and employment minister will keep a watch over both, according to media reports in Bangladesh.

Minister Ahmed said there are 67 green buildings in the RMG sector and there will be 280 more buildings for the factories.

Alliance officials said they will leave Bangladesh after May 31 next year but Accord officials will stay in the country for six more months for smooth transition. The progress of the remediation of RMG factory buildings will be reviewed in January and again in May.