Accessibility Statement Skip Navigation
  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing
  • Login
  • GDPR
  • Create a Free Account
Return to PRWeb homepage
  • News
  • Resources
  • Contact
When typing in this field, a list of search results will appear and be automatically updated as you type.

Searching for your content...

No results found. Please change your search terms and try again.
  • News in Focus
      • Browse News Releases

      • All News Releases
      • Multimedia Gallery

      • All Multimedia
      • All Photos
      • All Videos
  • Business & Money
      • Auto & Transportation

      • Aerospace, Defense
      • Air Freight
      • Airlines & Aviation
      • Automotive
      • Maritime & Shipbuilding
      • Railroads and Intermodal Transportation
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Transportation, Trucking & Railroad
      • Travel
      • Trucking and Road Transportation
      • View All Auto & Transportation

      • Business Technology

      • Blockchain
      • Broadcast Tech
      • Computer & Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Components
      • Electronic Design Automation
      • Financial Technology
      • High Tech Security
      • Internet Technology
      • Nanotechnology
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Semiconductors
      • View All Business Technology

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Financial Services & Investing

      • Accounting News & Issues
      • Acquisitions, Mergers and Takeovers
      • Banking & Financial Services
      • Bankruptcy
      • Bond & Stock Ratings
      • Conference Call Announcements
      • Contracts
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Dividends
      • Earnings
      • Earnings Forecasts & Projections
      • Financing Agreements
      • Insurance
      • Investments Opinions
      • Joint Ventures
      • Mutual Funds
      • Private Placement
      • Real Estate
      • Restructuring & Recapitalization
      • Sales Reports
      • Shareholder Activism
      • Shareholder Meetings
      • Stock Offering
      • Stock Split
      • Venture Capital
      • View All Financial Services & Investing

      • General Business

      • Awards
      • Commercial Real Estate
      • Corporate Expansion
      • Earnings
      • Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG)
      • Human Resource & Workforce Management
      • Licensing
      • New Products & Services
      • Obituaries
      • Outsourcing Businesses
      • Overseas Real Estate (non-US)
      • Personnel Announcements
      • Real Estate Transactions
      • Residential Real Estate
      • Small Business Services
      • Socially Responsible Investing
      • Surveys, Polls and Research
      • Trade Show News
      • View All General Business

  • Science & Tech
      • Consumer Technology

      • Artificial Intelligence
      • Blockchain
      • Cloud Computing/Internet of Things
      • Computer Electronics
      • Computer Hardware
      • Computer Software
      • Consumer Electronics
      • Cryptocurrency
      • Data Analytics
      • Electronic Commerce
      • Electronic Gaming
      • Financial Technology
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Multimedia & Internet
      • Peripherals
      • Social Media
      • STEM (Science, Tech, Engineering, Math)
      • Supply Chain/Logistics
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Consumer Technology

      • Energy & Natural Resources

      • Alternative Energies
      • Chemical
      • Electrical Utilities
      • Gas
      • General Manufacturing
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Oil & Energy
      • Oil and Gas Discoveries
      • Utilities
      • Water Utilities
      • View All Energy & Natural Resources

      • Environ­ment

      • Conservation & Recycling
      • Environmental Issues
      • Environmental Policy
      • Environmental Products & Services
      • Green Technology
      • Natural Disasters
      • View All Environ­ment

      • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Aerospace & Defense
      • Agriculture
      • Chemical
      • Construction & Building
      • General Manufacturing
      • HVAC (Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning)
      • Machinery
      • Machine Tools, Metalworking and Metallurgy
      • Mining
      • Mining & Metals
      • Paper, Forest Products & Containers
      • Precious Metals
      • Textiles
      • Tobacco
      • View All Heavy Industry & Manufacturing

      • Telecomm­unications

      • Carriers and Services
      • Mobile Entertainment
      • Networks
      • Peripherals
      • Telecommunications Equipment
      • Telecommunications Industry
      • VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol)
      • Wireless Communications
      • View All Telecomm­unications

  • Lifestyle & Health
      • Consumer Products & Retail

      • Animals & Pets
      • Beers, Wines and Spirits
      • Beverages
      • Bridal Services
      • Cannabis
      • Cosmetics and Personal Care
      • Fashion
      • Food & Beverages
      • Furniture and Furnishings
      • Home Improvement
      • Household, Consumer & Cosmetics
      • Household Products
      • Jewelry
      • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
      • Office Products
      • Organic Food
      • Product Recalls
      • Restaurants
      • Retail
      • Supermarkets
      • Toys
      • View All Consumer Products & Retail

      • Entertain­ment & Media

      • Advertising
      • Art
      • Books
      • Entertainment
      • Film and Motion Picture
      • Magazines
      • Music
      • Publishing & Information Services
      • Radio & Podcast
      • Television
      • View All Entertain­ment & Media

      • Health

      • Biometrics
      • Biotechnology
      • Clinical Trials & Medical Discoveries
      • Dentistry
      • FDA Approval
      • Fitness/Wellness
      • Health Care & Hospitals
      • Health Insurance
      • Infection Control
      • International Medical Approval
      • Medical Equipment
      • Medical Pharmaceuticals
      • Mental Health
      • Pharmaceuticals
      • Supplementary Medicine
      • View All Health

      • Sports

      • General Sports
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Sporting Events
      • Sports Equipment & Accessories
      • View All Sports

      • Travel

      • Amusement Parks and Tourist Attractions
      • Gambling & Casinos
      • Hotels and Resorts
      • Leisure & Tourism
      • Outdoors, Camping & Hiking
      • Passenger Aviation
      • Travel Industry
      • View All Travel

  • Policy & Public Interest
      • Policy & Public Interest

      • Advocacy Group Opinion
      • Animal Welfare
      • Congressional & Presidential Campaigns
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
      • Domestic Policy
      • Economic News, Trends, Analysis
      • Education
      • Environmental
      • European Government
      • FDA Approval
      • Federal and State Legislation
      • Federal Executive Branch & Agency
      • Foreign Policy & International Affairs
      • Homeland Security
      • Labor & Union
      • Legal Issues
      • Natural Disasters
      • Not For Profit
      • Patent Law
      • Public Safety
      • Trade Policy
      • U.S. State Policy
      • View All Policy & Public Interest

  • People & Culture
      • People & Culture

      • Aboriginal, First Nations & Native American
      • African American
      • Asian American
      • Children
      • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
      • Hispanic
      • Lesbian, Gay & Bisexual
      • Men's Interest
      • People with Disabilities
      • Religion
      • Senior Citizens
      • Veterans
      • Women
      • View All People & Culture

  • Hamburger menu
  • Cision PRWeb provides efficient communication tools to continuously engage with target audiences across multiple online channels
  • Create a Free Account
    • ALL CONTACT INFO
    • Contact Us


      11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday

  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • News in Focus
    • Browse All News
    • Multimedia Gallery
  • Business & Money
    • Auto & Transportation
    • Business Technology
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Financial Services & Investing
    • General Business
  • Science & Tech
    • Consumer Technology
    • Energy & Natural Resources
    • Environ­ment
    • Heavy Industry & Manufacturing
    • Telecomm­unications
  • Lifestyle & Health
    • Consumer Products & Retail
    • Entertain­ment & Media
    • Health
    • Sports
    • Travel
  • Policy & Public Interest
  • People & Culture
    • People & Culture
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR
  • Send a Release
  • Sign up
  • Log in
  • Resources
  • RSS
  • GDPR

New Findings of Independent Review of Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety Indicate Major Progress in Efforts to Improve Safety in Bangladesh Garment Factories
  • USA - English


News provided by

Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety

Sep 19, 2014, 03:00 ET

Share this article

Share toX

Share this article

Share toX

Washington, D.C. (PRWEB) September 19, 2014 -- Below are remarks made by the Hon. Ellen Tauscher, Board Chair, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety during the Bipartisan Policy Center workshop and discussion in Washington, D.C.
Sept. 17, 2014.

"Thank you all for joining us today. I’m Ellen Tauscher, former Member of the U.S. Congress and Independent Chair of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety—a position I’ve had the honor of holding since last August, shortly after the Alliance was established.

Today’s event marks an important milestone—and a 'full-circle moment'—in the progress of the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety.

As most of you know, the Alliance was originally organized through the U.S. Bipartisan Policy Center, which hosted discussions that were convened and chaired by former U.S. Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell and former U.S. Senator Olympia Snowe—both of whom are here and hosting us again today.

It is only appropriate that I should start by thanking the Bipartisan Policy Center and these two great leaders for the conversations that they started more than a year ago. Their leadership led us down the path we are on today—toward lasting safety reform for the entire Bangladesh garment industry.

Everyone present in this room already knows the critically important role that the Bangladesh garment industry plays in supporting the livelihoods of nearly four million people—80% of whom are women. It is a major driver of the Bangladesh economy, accounting for 80% of the nation’s export earnings.

When our work began more than a year ago, it was triggered by a series of factory tragedies that should never have happened in the first place. The reforms we are working so hard to achieve are long overdue – in this day and age, no one, no matter where they live, should have to risk their life in order to go to work and provide for their family.

That is why the Alliance – along with its member companies – has approached this work as an urgent issue of human rights and social justice.

When Senators Mitchell and Snowe convened the discussions that led to the formation of the Alliance, it was because there was broad recognition that the United States—our government, our private sector, our civil society resources—must do its part to bring about lasting safety reforms in the Bangladesh garment industry.

From the very beginning, Alliance member companies committed nearly $50 million to a worker safety fund and made an additional $100 million available in affordable access to capital to help factories implement safety upgrades. In recent weeks, we’ve approved another fund that will help leverage—and guarantee—up to an additional $20 million in support for factory owners through low-cost financing.

Fourteen months after our launch, I am pleased to report that the Alliance and its member companies are succeeding in their effort. Despite being global competitors, these companies have united their expertise and resources with uncommon dedication. It has been a privilege to work with them, and to witness real and lasting change result from unprecedented partnerships.

When we arrived on the ground in Bangladesh, the garment industry and the nation was still reeling from the Rana Plaza disaster. There was very little in the way of organized or strategic planning—let alone the necessary partnerships—to create systemic safety reforms in the industry. There was no harmonized standard for safety inspections; no systematic process for reviewing and recommending factories for closure; and no plausible way for factory owners to get the access to capital they might need to follow through on remediation plans.

Our very first step was to develop a harmonized inspection Standard that would be adopted by the National Tripartite Committee and the European Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh. We did more than just participate in those discussions; we led the process that resulted in a strict new Standard for safety that is now in use by all inspection programs on the ground.

In those early days, we made many pledges for our first year in operation – and today, we can confidently say that we have met them. To date, we have:

  • Inspected 100% of the factories from which Alliance members source—587 factories in total
  • Delivered an updated safety training to more than 1.1 million factory managers, workers, and security personnel; sample surveys among workers show that the training has already had a significant impact on their knowledge of fire safety
  • Begun remediation in 50% of Alliance factories, and closed or partially closed 14 factories that required it
  • Compensated more than 1,000 workers displaced as a result of factory remediation; as many of you know, the Alliance’s pledge to provide 50% of lost wages for up to 4 months is a key differentiator of our approach

We have also begun the rollout of a helpline that enables workers to report concerns without fear of reprisal. We amended our Member’s Agreement to make it crystal clear that workers in factories from which Alliance companies source have the right to refuse work in conditions they feel are unsafe—period.

We kept these promises while building extraordinary partnerships with the government and industry leaders in Bangladesh that led to additional critical contributions to safety reform:

  • We led efforts to design and launch the first-ever International Expo on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, to make the process of purchasing safety equipment easier and better informed for factory owners and managers. The event was so successful that a second event is being planned for this December, with more than 5,000 participants expected.
  • We advocated successfully with the Bangladesh government to reduce import tariffs on safety equipment—tariffs that were in some cases as costly as the goods themselves, putting repairs again out of reach for factory owners. Today, factory owners can focus more of their resources on completing thorough, and thoughtful, remediation programs.

These additional avenues for change—working with related industries and stakeholders to remove political and social barriers—are a defining element of our approach, and we continue to seek them every day.

In fact, today I am pleased to announce that we have just signed an MOU with the National Fire Protection Agency. Our collaboration will ensure that best practices in fire and electrical safety that are used around the world are also adopted in Bangladesh. Specifically, the partnership is designed:

  • To ensure that key stakeholders are made aware of NFPA codes, standards and resources;
  • To develop effective training and education programs for factory workers and managers, including classroom and e-learning opportunities; and
  • To develop new ways of communicating with employers and workers in the RMG sector about key workplace hazards.

We are just one year in to a five-year commitment—and the hardest work is certainly still ahead of us. Successful and comprehensive remediation is essential to ensure that the Bangladesh garment industry can safely serve its ultimate purpose: to serve as a central driver of the Bangladesh economy and a critical pathway out of poverty for millions of Bangladeshi women.

We are pleased with the progress at our one-year mark—and we believe the right plan and partners are in place to continue this momentum and create lasting change in Bangladesh. But we also seek to constantly strengthen our approach—so that we leave behind the process and capacity that is needed to ensure long-term and sustainable changes to factory safety.

Today, we are here to conduct a one-year assessment of the Alliance’s progress. We take these discussions and this opportunity for honest, constructive feedback very seriously. In particular, we invite input and inquiry from you, Senators Mitchell and Snowe, and pledge that we will be transparent and candid with our responses."

To find out more, please go to Alliance's website.

Guillermo Meneses, Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, http://bangladeshworkersafety.org/, +1 202-445-1570, [email protected]

Modal title

Contact PRWeb

  • 11AM ET Sunday – 8PM ET Friday
  • Contact Us

About PRWeb

  • About PRWeb
  • Partners
  • Partnership Programs
  • Editorial Guidelines
  • Resources

Why PRWeb

  • Why PRWeb
  • How It Works
  • Who Uses It
  • Pricing

Accounts

  • Create a Free Account
  • Log in
  • Contact Us

Do not sell or share my personal information:

  • Submit via [email protected] 
  • Call Privacy toll-free: 877-297-8921

Contact Cision

Products

About

My Services
  • All News Releases
  • Online Member Center
  • ProfNet
Cision Distribution Helpline
888-776-0942
  • Legal
  • Site Map
  • RSS
  • Cookie Settings
Copyright © 2025 Cision US Inc.