TUAC NEWS
National Contact Points Support Bangladesh Accord
03/07/2013
Paris 3 July 2013
In a statement released at an OECD meeting in Paris last week, the forty-five National Contact Points of the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises supported the trade union-led Accord on Bangladesh Fire and Building Safety.
The National Contacts Points welcomed “robust and credible initiatives, such as the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh, which try to improve the situation on the ground”. They emphasised that “[A]bandoning production in Bangladesh could make the situation of the workers worse”, stating that the responsible course of action under the Guidelines is to work to “guarantee the safety of workers, improve their working conditions and ensure respect for human rights”. The National Contact Points also committed themselves to working at national level to promote responsible business conduct in Bangladesh.
This is the first time that the National Contact Points have issued a joint statement. It was welcomed by IndustriALL and Uni Global Union.
In an earlier statement the OECD Secretary General, Angel Gurría had declared his support for the Accord, describing the tragedy as a “dramatic wakeup call for the international textile industry, governments, and other stakeholders”.
The OECD Guidelines were strengthened in 2011 in particular with regard to supply chain responsibility. Under the Guidelines, multinational enterprises are now required to undertake “due diligence” to prevent, identify and address problems in their supply chains.
Links:
NCP Statement on Bangladesh (25 June 2013):
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/NCPStatementBangladesh25June2013.pdf
OECD National Contact Points support Bangladesh Accord (27 June 2013)
http://www.industriall-union.org/oecd-national-contact-points-support-bangladesh-accord
OECD Secretary-General statement on events in Bangladesh (4 June 2013)
http://mneguidelines.oecd.org/oecdsecretary-generalstatementoneventsinbangladesh.htm