1.

PM asks transport owners to give drivers proper

work time, rest for road safety
Published: 22 Oct 2019 08:10 PM BdST Updated: 22 Oct 2019 08:10 PM BdST

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has asked transport owners to ensure proper work time and enough rest
for drivers to ensure road safety for the public. She made the call during a discussion marking the
National Road Safety Day on Tuesday. “I doubt transport owners look into issues such as how long
the driver drives and if they had enough food and rest,” remarked Hasina.

“They, too, need rest and enough food. They need some time of their own.” The prime minister called
for stopping the tendency to ‘overtake’ other vehicles while driving on the roads as the ‘unfair
competition’ causes road accidents. “Not only are the government and drivers, but also the people are
responsible for ensuring safe roads. I hope everyone will perform their duties,” she said.
“Every road accident victim belongs to a family. We need to think about the future of their family if
someone dies in road accident.” Hasina was critical of the mindset to blame only the driver in case of
a road accident.
“The government has constructed pedestrian footbridges, underpasses, pavements but the pedestrians
do not follow the rules.

“They just gesture a moving vehicle to stop and runs across. The pedestrians should understand that
the vehicle is a machine and takes time to stop even if the driver brakes.” “Even the young men and
women avoid the footbridge next to them and cross the street. Now should we blame the driver if an
accident occurs? They are not supposed to cross the road that way,” said the prime minister. “There
are certain rules of using public transport. Who will be responsible if I keep my hand outside the car
and then meet an accident? We have an advantage of having a court order if we file a writ petition. But
it should be focused on who’s responsible.”

Hasina suggested the drivers and pedestrians to remain alert on using mobile phones to prevent road
accidents.
“You are aware that most of the countries have banned the use of mobile phone while driving...
Pedestrians should not use mobile phones while walking. I’ve seen people talking on mobile phone
while walking beside the rail tracks, totally unaware that a train is approaching.” Hasina gave directives
to make the footpaths free from encroachers. “There’s no place left on the footpaths. People park their
cars indiscriminately. In many shopping malls, the authorities show parking space on the plan but later
rent out the spaces for shops.” “Traffic toll system should be introduced in cases of illegal parking.
We may introduce a system offering commission for those who will collect bigger amounts in fines.”

She ordered measures against those who increase the size of their vehicles defying rules. Road
Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader, Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on
Road Transport Ministry Ekabbar Hossain, Bangladesh Road Transport Workers Federation Acting
President Shajahan Khan, Road Transport Secretary Nazrul Islam, Secretary General of Bangladesh
Road Transport Owners Association Khandaker Enayet Ullah, and Nirapad Sarak Chai President Iliyas
Kanchan were present in the discussion.

https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2019/10/22/pm-asks-transport-owners-to-give-drivers-proper-work-
time-rest-for-road-
safety?fbclid=IwAR0T2crNbuFg006A9GTusEq1NUDanKKWYf7eDSn2s0EHjrxVlQowYZHPGM8
Comment:

According to the Labour Law of Bangladesh Act, 2006, under the Section (112) mentioned that
“Special age limit for road transport worker”; No person shall be employed as a driver in a road
transport establishment unless he has attained the age of 21 years. In addition to that no person shall
be employed in such establishment in any other post unless he has attained the age of 18 years. Section
(101) also mentioned that there must be “Interval for rest or meal” for the drivers who drive for the
road transport establishments. As per the Road transport Act, 2018, drivers must have education not
below eighth grade, and nobody will be allowed to drive vehicles without license. Therefore, here in
this article The PM of Bangladesh mentioned to all the owners of road transports establishments that
the drivers must have enough time for rest and meal. According to the draft, a driver will lose points
for nine types of offenses, including drunk driving, illegal overtaking, reckless and dangerous driving,
and violation of traffic signals and speed limits. Also she referred that drivers must follow the driving
hours that have been mentioned in the Road Transport Act, 2018. The governments, through gazette
notifications, said follow the set working hours for drivers, conductors, helpers and other staffers in
line with the labour law. The owners and recruiting authorities must follow these laws accordingly.
During the National Road Safety Day, PM also mentioned that not only the government or drivers, but
also the people of the nations have to follow rules and responsibility to ensure the safety roads.
2. A fire has broken out on a launch in Hasnabad area
of Keraniganj
Published at 11:39 am October 25th, 2019

The fire broke out on the second floor of Surovi 7 around 9:45am on Friday.

Two Fire Service units rushed to the spot immediately.

Three Fire Service units finally managed to douse the blaze around 12:30pm.

Fire Service and Civil Defence control room Duty Officer Ershad Hossain said: “The cause of fire is
unknown at this point.”

No casualties have been reported so far, he added.

https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/dhaka/2019/10/25/launch-catches-fire-in-keraniganj

Comment:

Though the investigation yet has not been completed and no reason has been found that has caused the
accident, we just can assume if any violation accrue in case of safety of the labor then sec: 62.
“Precaution as to fire” will arise, where subsec:(1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8) will be considered for any legal action.
Again, if any labour’s loss or injury or permanent injury caused due to this accident then Sec:150
Liability of Employer to pay compensation,Sec:151Amount of compensation,Sec:152 Method of
calculation wages,Sec:153,154,156,157,1158,159,160,161,162 accordingly has to be considered in
this case.
3.

https://www.just-style.com/news/bangladesh-maternity-compliance-low-in-rmg-
sector_id137360.aspx?fbclid=IwAR0O_71lGaQYfVm6OxgnEn_M4qt5a_DF6KVQyMipV3vQeU9zav03sottpFM
Comments:

In the article above, it is evident that organizations within the RMG sector, engage in unmitigated
violation of the Maternity Act as stated in the Bangladesh Labor Law. Majority of the RMG factories
are non-compliant in terms of Maternity Leave and benefits which is mostly due to lack of awareness
and strength of the unions within these factories. Therefore, RMG factories must ensure that they create
awareness amongst its employees regarding the laws as stated in the labor law and prepare a clear draft
of the procedure of maternity leave along with the benefits and pay that the employees should be
entitled to. As per the amendment of Bangladesh Labor Law of 2018, a total of 16 weeks of Maternity
Leave should be granted with full pay – 8 weeks before birth and 8 weeks afterwards. Moreover, an
owner may face penalty of Taka 25,000 on charge of depriving an expectant mother of maternity leave.
Employers must ensure that the expecting staff is refrained from work which is arduous in nature which
may affect her health. Furthermore, in terms of childcare benefits, factories should also ensure
provision of childcare facilities with proper accommodation and ventilation as stated in Section 94 of
Bangladesh Labor Law 2006. Employees must be informed regarding the eligibility and procedure to
avail those services.
4. Workers making £88 Lululemon leggings claim
they are beaten
Exclusive: Upmarket brand that recently launched partnership with UN Foundation
opens investigation as women in Bangladesh factory say they suffer regular abuse

Lululemon, an athleisure brand whose £88 leggings are worn by celebrities and Instagram influencers,
are sourcing clothing from a factory where Bangladeshi female factory workers claim they are beaten
and physically assaulted.

The Canadian brand recently launched a partnership with the United Nations Foundation to reduce
stress levels and promote the mental health of aid workers.

Yet young female workers at a factory in Bangladesh making clothing for the label gave detailed
accounts of how they struggled to survive on meagre wages and faced physical violence and regular
humiliation at the hands of their managers, who called them “whores” and “sluts”. The factory is
owned and run by the Youngone Corporation, which supplies Lululemon.

Workers allege that:

Factory workers who break any rules or leave earlier than expected are verbally abused by management
and hit. Some said they had been made to work despite ill-health

Some labourers are paid 9,100 taka a month (£85) – less than the price of one pair of their leggings,
which sell for as much as £138.50. The sum is well below the 16,000 taka unions have been demanding
and falls far short of living wage estimates. They are forced to work overtime to hit targets, saying
they sometimes felt immense pressure not to leave their work stations

Lululemon said it has a strict code of practice, and does not tolerate any violations of this. The company
said it would immediately launch an investigation. “There are currently no orders planned for this
factory, and we will take appropriate action based upon the findings of our investigation,” a
spokesperson said.

A UN Foundation spokesperson said: “We believe all workers should be treated fairly and welcome
Lululemon’s investigation.” One worker at the factory claimed she was slapped for leaving work early,
after feeling unwell. “I was sick, so one day I left work at 5pm but I informed the line supervisor. He
told his bosses I left without telling anyone and the next day, when I went to work, the technician in
charge of my line slapped me,” she said.

She added: “He slapped me so hard my cheeks turned red and everyone asked me what happened. I
couldn’t tell them the actual story. I just told them I had allergies.” The worker claimed she did not
complain as she felt no one would care. She added that female workers were also called “prostitutes”.

“During last Ramadan, they created a new line and recruited new female workers. One day, a
technician hit a label operator so hard on her chest. We could see she was in pain the whole day …
She was lying in the back of the line for hours but our bosses did nothing about her.”
Lululemon launched a partnership with the United Nations Foundation (UNF) on 8 October, saying
that for the last three years the leggings company and the UNF have been working together to develop
a curriculum of evidence-based mindfulness, yoga and self-care training, and have conducted pilot
testing to more than 500 aid workers in eight countries to date, including the United States.

The company has upped its sales and profit outlook and is now forecasting that it will haul in $3.8bn
(£3.02bn) to $3.84bn in sales in 2019. Lululemon, which was started in 1998 by Canadian billionaire
businessman Chip Wilson, as a purveyor of yoga pants, has been expanding and introducing new
product lines. But the clothes it produces are purchased from a range of developing countries where
labour is cheaper, including Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Vietnam, among other parts of the
world.

The company’s website says: “We don’t own our manufacturing facilities so we take great care
selecting our manufacturing partners. Our approach is to build relationships with factories that are
aligned with our values and meet our sourcing expectations.” It notes: “Our Vendor Code of Ethics
applies to all countries where our products are manufactured, including Bangladesh, and ensures that
our partners follow a single set of policies, regardless of legal and cultural differences.”

Lululemon was criticised in 2013 for taking months to sign the Bangladesh Safety Accord, after the
factory disaster in Bangladesh that killed more than 1,130 people. A petition was launched for them to
stand by their commitment to sustainability and ethics. The Guardian spoke to one male worker at the
factory, who claimed he had witnessed female workers being called “whore”, “prostitute” and “slut”.

He further alleged: “They treat men badly too. Sometimes they beat male workers too. I never got
beaten myself but I have seen other people get beaten up.”

Workers also raised concerns about not being able to leave when they are sick, with one girl who had
jaundice reportedly granted time off by the medical team at the factory but told by her production
manager she had to keep working.

They claimed that they are sometimes understaffed, putting immense pressure on workers who needed
to meet targets. “So workers have to work more. They can’t eat food or take rest properly which is
very bad,” a labourer said.

Tuomo Poutiainen, country director for ILO Bangladesh: “Any type of violence and harassment at
work is unacceptable … There is a need in the garment industry in Bangladesh to continue to raise
awareness on sexual harassment in the workplace and establish active measures to address it.”

Anna Bryher, advocacy director for the campaign group Labour Behind the Label, said: “Women at
the bottom of supply chains bear the brunt of fashion’s unrelenting push to be fast and cheap … It’s
obscene.”

She added: “As outrageous as this story is, this isn’t a one-off. Women making our clothes in
Bangladesh are routinely and systematically abused and harassed.” Bryher said that a recent survey
found 80% of Bangladeshi workers making clothes from international companies said they had
experienced or witnessed sexual harassment and abuse in the workplace.
A Lululemon company spokesperson said: “A responsible supply chain starts with us and we are
committed to upholding ethical sourcing practices globally. Our Vendor Code of Ethics consists of
best in class industry standards. We require that all vendors share our values and uphold a consistent
set of policies that live up to our Code. We do not tolerate any violation of this Code. Upon learning
of the reports about a facility in Bangladesh, we immediately launched an investigation. There are
currently no orders planned for this factory, and we will take appropriate action based upon the findings
of our investigation.”

Youngone Corporation said it is fully committed to providing a working environment in all its facilities
that is safe, fair and just. It said employees are encouraged to share their opinion or launch a complaint
through many different channels. The company said that when grievances have been found they have
been addressed and led to disciplinary proceedings. An internal review has been launched.

https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2019/oct/14/workers-making-lululemon-leggings-claim-
they-are-beaten
5. Amazon Sells Clothing From Bangladeshi Factories
Blacklisted for Safety Issues
OCTOBER 23, 2019 3:35PM ET at SOURCING JOURNAL

In an industry where reputational risks can make or break a fashion brand, companies, for the most
part, try to steer away from controversial practices that may generate backlash. (Witness Lululemon’s
frantic damage control after one of its factory suppliers allegedly beat and assaulted its female workers,
for instance.)

The problem rests predominantly in Amazon’s third-party marketplace, which consists of millions of
sellers—many of them anonymous—who don’t have to comply with Amazon’s own code of ethics or
business conduct.

The Journal traced a yellow gingham toddler top, listed on Amazon for $4.99 by a New York City
retailer, to a factory in Chittagong, Bangladesh, with no fire alarms. It does, on the other hand, have a
model of door that managers can lock and keep workers behind. An 18-year-old employee told the
newspaper that she spends 12-hour days sewing shirts with 300 others, and that “you’re trapped inside
until the time you complete the orders.”

The Journal found other clothing items, including pants, sweaters, clerical robes and fishnet stockings,
on Amazon made in Bangladeshi factories blacklisted by retailers such as Walmart, Target, Costco
and Gap for refusing to fix safety problems highlighted by safety-monitoring groups, including
crumbling infrastructure, faulty alarms and missing sprinklers and fire barriers.

The Accord for Building and Fire Safety in Bangladesh and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker
Safety—two groups formed by brands and retailers in the wake of the 2013 Rana Plaza building
collapse, which killed, 1,137 garment workers and injured thousands more—have banned more than
300 factories in the South Asian nation altogether.

Some of the products produced by banned factories were listed for sale by Amazon directly, but two-
thirds were being sold by third-party sellers using Amazon’s platform.

A spokesman told the Journal that the internet giant doesn’t inspect factories that make the clothing it
buys from wholesalers, or that originates from third-party sellers. Instead, it relies on both wholesalers
and sellers to “adhere to the same safety standards,” though Amazon’s agreement with third-party
sellers doesn’t make those terms explicit.

“If we become aware that a product is from a factory that may not meet our supply chain standards,
we will remove the product from our store,” the spokesman said.
With its aggressive private-label push in recent years, Amazon has emerged as a major force in apparel,
and one other retailers are struggling to compete against in terms of price and convenience. As the
Journal surmises, the retailer may even have supplanted Walmart as America’s No. 1 clothing seller.

But Amazon isn’t the only retailer guilty of selling clothing from questionable sources. A number of
garments found on Amazon’s site were also listed on Walmart.com’s online marketplace, which the
big box developed to keep up with Amazon’s third-party dominance. Target, too, listed on its website
items from one banned factory. (Walmart told the Journal it would look into those products; Target
removed its listing and declined to comment.)

https://sourcingjournal.com/topics/labor/amazon-apparel-supply-chain-bangladesh-worker-safety-
176240/?fbclid=IwAR3u3btKp9oA6_KVRDHY_jKL2ixFqLqd-i-GiQ3v9IcXuJeIqFENv-VV13M