Dhaka: The government is very much concerned and active to ensure safety for the country's garment industry, says State Minister for Labour and Employment Mujibul Haque Chunnu.

He said this while attending an international seminar on Transformation Challenges and Opportunities in Bangladesh Garment Industry on 6 June at the Harvard University at Boston in the USA.

The seminar was organized jointly by Harvard University South Asia Institute and Harvard University Centre for the Environment and International Sustainable Development Institute (ISDI), Inc, according to a message received on Monday.

State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki also spoke at the function, while Labor and Manpower Secretary Mikail Shipar and Consul General of Bangladesh in New York Md. Shameem Ahsan were present.

The state minister for labor focused on the measures already taken for workplace safety and compliance.

He especially mentioned the amendment to the Bangladesh Labor Act 2006 to ensure workers' welfare, rights and safety, promoting trade unionism and collective bargaining and adoption of the National Occupational Health and Safety Policy.

Chumki noted that empowerment of women is a priority issue for the Government of Bangladesh. ‘The female workers are the driving force for the vibrant RMG sector, and Bangladesh is not lagging behind the other RMG-exporting countries in terms of improving the living conditions and factory safety,’ she said.

Other participants in the seminar agreed that there has been visible and impressive progress in improving the situation in this sector in Bangladesh since the Rana Plaza Tragedy, but more needs to be done.

Representatives from various countries, development partners, UN agencies, BGMEA and BKMEA as well as garment manufacturers, exporters, brands, retailers, ACCORD, ALLIANCE, safety experts, union leaders and worker rights groups from Bangladesh attended the seminar.