Bangladesh clothing show to boost Britain garment ties

LONDON - A Bangladeshi clothing show is being organised for the first time in Britain to acknowledge the one billion pounds-strong relationship between British garment retailers and suppliers from the South Asian country.

The Bangladesh Clothing Show 2010, slated for late September in London, is designed to boost sourcing relationships with buyers from the Britain and the EU.

But the immediate aim is to convince British retailers, who have been affected by garment workers’ strikes over wages in June, not to shift their trade to other locations.

GenX UK, a London-based market facilitating company which is organising the show, says the event will showcase skills of the Bangladeshi clothing industry and its role in serving the lifestyle that evolves to meet the tastes of daily as well as fashion enthusiasts in Britain, Europe and beyond.

Importantly, Bangladeshi firms are expected to use the show as an opportunity to convey their sustainability and discuss compliance of wage standards and the elimination of child labour.

Garments account for 80 percent of the country’s total sales to Britain, with 4,000 factories employing around two million people. In 2008, Bangladesh exports to Britain reached 843.3 million pounds, breaching the 1 billion pounds mark in 2009.

With full shelves for western retailers dependent on reliable fast turnaround times for factory orders, strikes remain a potent tactic for garment workers.

The garments sector has witnessed recurring violence in Bangladesh where wages are low and working conditions are poor.

The latest round of violent protests was triggered over wage dispute. The workers want Taka 5,000 (47.32 pounds) as daily minimum wage, while the employers are not willing to pay beyond Taka 1,662 (15.73 pounds), the national minimum wage.

The protests started on June 13, leading to a lock-out of garment factories. British retailers panicked about shortages of supplies and the bosses were compelled to re-open the factories 23 June. An announcement on the new wage structure has been promised for July 28.

Pressure is coming on the Bangladeshi government to settle the wage dispute from global retailers, including Walmart, Gap and H&M, who fear low wages for the workers could taint their reputations as socially responsible companies.

(Venkata Vemuri can be contacted at venkata.v@ians.in)