Labour Minister Nimal Siripala Silva stated that international organisations have come forward to promote employee safety and hygiene in the workplace including in the garment and textile industry in Sri Lanka.
Executive Director of ‘Accord’ Joris Oldenziel which was established to promote the safety and hygiene standards of the world's Garment and Textile Factories agreed to implement the organisation's programme in Sri Lanka during a meeting with Minister Silva.
Oldenziel briefed the Minister on the security initiatives being implemented in the garment industry in Bangladesh through its Coordinating Office in Bangladesh.
Oldenziel said that ‘Accord’ of Bangladesh employs close to 3,500 factory safety consultants. He also told the Minister that he was pleased with the workplace security situation in the Sri Lankan garment and textile industry. However, the Executive Director of Accord told the Minister that his organisation was ready to assist in bringing the situation to a higher standard.
Employees, Trade Unions and the Department of Labour have agreed to work for the safety of workplaces in the garment and textile industry in Sri Lanka even during the last COVID-19 pandemic period.
The Minister explained how these three parties were able to protect the industry, the export economy of the country and to continue the manufacturing process without any injustice to the employees. He emphasized the need to establish a network of sustainable security programmes for the protection of physical and human resources in the sector.
The Minister pointed out that there should be a strong insurance scheme or Social Security Fund for the safety and welfare of workers and factory owners as well especially in the event of a disaster such as COVID-19. Discussions for establishing such a fund are already underway with the World Labour Organisation and the World Bank.
“Due to this situation, the present Government has increased the amount of compensation to be paid to the workers from Rs.500,000 to Rs.2,000,000,” the Minister explained to the Accord representatives.
He further said that the necessary permission could be obtained to maintain a Coordinating Office of Accord in Sri Lanka and that a future survey on its scope and activities could determine this.
The Minister expressed confidence that such an international organisation would enhance the credibility of Sri Lanka among foreign buyers and international organisations by intervening for the safety of workers in the Sri Lankan garment and textile sector. Therefore, the Minister requested Accord to take the necessary steps to establish a coordinating office of the kind established in Bangladesh as soon as possible in Sri Lanka.
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