The Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (the Accord) was signed on 15 May 2013 in the immediate aftermath of the Rana Plaza building collapse that caused the death of more than 1,100 people and injured more than 2,000.
Signed by more than 200 apparel brands and retailers from over 20 countries across Europe, North America, Asia and Australia; two global trade unions (IndustriAll Global Union and UNI Global Union); eight Bangladesh trade unions; and four witness non-governmental organizations, in close cooperation with the ILO. The Accord is an illustration of what cross-border social dialogue can achieve.
This agreement – the first of its kind to be legally binding – was designed to build a safe and secure prêt-à-porter garment industry in Bangladesh by enforcing standards on fire and safety. It provides for an independent inspection programme, supported by brands and involving workers and trade unions, as well as a democratically elected health and safety committee in all factories to identify and act on health and safety risks. It also seeks to empower workers through an extensive training programme, a complaints mechanism and the right to refuse unsafe work.
The Accord was extended in 2017 for an additional three-year period. A new agreement was reached in August 2021, which maintains the core elements of the initial Accord while broadening the coverage to general health and safety (rather than only fire and building safety). It also expands its scope to address human rights due diligence across the brands’ global supply chains. The 2021 agreement is valid for 26 months, until 31 October 2023. It is jointly governed by trade union organizations and brands, while its different implementation components (inspections, remediation, monitoring, safety training and an independent safety and health complaints mechanism) remain in the hands of a dedicated council – the RMG Sustainability Council (RSC). The RSC, which includes prêt-à-porter garment manufacturers and union affiliates from Bangladesh, global brands and retailers, is mandated to carry forward the work on workplace safety. Around 150 international brands are signatories to the 2021 agreement.
See the websites for the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry and for the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh.
International Accord workplace safety programme in Pakistan
The successful experience in Bangladesh prompted the signatories to expand the workplace safety programme to at least one other textile and garment producing country. Pakistan emerged as a priority country, in part because of its importance as a garment and textile sourcing country for the Accord brands.
Signatories to the International Accord for Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry have established a workplace health and safety programme in Pakistan covering signatories' garment and textile suppliers. The new Pakistan Accord on Health and Safety in the Textile and Garment Industry is a legally binding agreement between global unions, IndustriALL and UNI Global Union, and garment brands and retailers for an initial term of three years starting in 2023.
The Pakistan Accord programmes will be implemented in phases, in close collaboration with federal ministries and provincial governments, industry associations, suppliers, trade unions and civil society organisations and through the establishment of a national governance body.
The Pakistan Accord includes all key International Accord features: independent safety inspections to address identified fire, electrical, structural and boiler hazards, monitoring and supporting remediation, Safety Committee training and worker safety awareness programmes, an independent complaints mechanism, a commitment to broad transparency and local capacity-building to enhance a culture of health and safety in the industry.
The Pakistan Accord covers Cut-Make-Trim (CMT) facilities, namely Ready-Made Garment (RMG), home textile, fabric and knit accessories suppliers (including vertically integrated facilities). Fabric mills within the supply chains of the signatories are also covered, with implementation scheduled for a later stage in the programme. The programme aims to incrementally cover more than 500 factories producing for more than 100 Accord signatory companies throughout the Sindh and Punjab provinces, where most of Pakistan’s $20 billion in garment and textile exports are manufactured annually.