Echotex signed contract to protect their workers health

Washim Mia, Staff Correspondent: A contract signing ceremony between Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) and Echotex Limited is held at The Westin Dhaka on Tuesday, 15th November 2017 organized by the SNV Netherlands Development Organization. This contract signing ceremony is done under the ‘Health Insurance Pilot Project for RMG Workers in Bangladesh” project. This project is being implemented with the financial assistance from Weave our Future (WoF).

In July 2017, SNV and Weave our Future (WoF) Foundation (the foundation of Auchan -a large French Retailer) have joined hands to implement health insurance program in the garment sector. Under this program, SNV is providing technical assistance to Gonoshasthaya Kendra, a national health care providing NGO in implementing the program to ensure health care services for the garment workers of targeted factories and where RTM international is providing monitoring and evaluation support. They are jointly engaging and sensitizing factories to provide a healthy living for their workers. The contract signing ceremony on 15^th November is a result of these engagements.

All the parties have joined together to ensure better sexual and reproductive health and make the basic and secondary health services available, accessible and affordable for the workers to improve their health status and productivity.

At the beginning, Ms. Farhtheeba Rahat Khan, Team Leader of Working with Women Project welcomed the participants and provided a synopsis of the event.

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The event was attended by the respected and distinguished guests. Among them, Dr. Md. Anwar Ullah, FCMA, Additional Inspector General of DIFE; Mr. Faruque Hassan, Senior Vice-President, BGMEA; Ms. Dr. Annie Vestjens, First Secretary SRHR and Gender, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands; Jessica Nursoo, Country Manager, Auchan International; Ms. Amandine FURST, Project Manager, Auchan International; Mr. Shafiq Hassan, Managing Director, Echotex Ltd; Dr. Manzur Kadir Ahmed, Chief Coordinator, GK; Mr. Syed Jaglul Pasha, Executive Director, RTM International and representatives from different print and electronic media were present at the contract signing ceremony

Dr. Annie Vestjens, First Secretary SRHR and Gender, Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands said, “I am very pleased to be here in this contract signing between GK and Echotex. The RMG sector, the major earner of foreign currencies in Bangladesh, has more than 4 million workers of which majority are female. These workers often carry misconceptions of sexual and reproductive health and thus they are not fully committed to their workplace. Netherlands has been working with SNV since 2014. I think it is the time to skill them up and finding them and building more evidence. Besides, sustainability has to be built on all other projects. She thanked to “Auchan” and “GK” to extend their hands and congratulate “Echotex” to come forward and to be a part of this program’’.

“Since the inception of our business, we believe in 3Ps- Planet, People and Products. If we don’t protect these first two sectors, we can’t produce good products. So, our entire emphasis is on the maintenance of the environment because we consider the environment as the heart of our business. Now, the partnership along with SNV,GK and Auchan is a fantastic thing and I hope it is going to deliver something that everyone can replicate and take a step forward’’, said Mr. Safik Hassan, Managing Director, Echotex Limited in his decorous speech.

Mr. Faruque Hassan, President DBCCI and Senior Vice-President BGMEA stated “RMG sector tells an impressive story of a successful transition in terms of the economy of Bangladesh from almost an unknown entity in early 1980s. Women represent almost 70 to 75 percent of the total workers. Investing in their health and safety issue has become a social responsibility. I would like to thank SNV, WoF, RTM, GK and specially to Echotex for their health Insurance scheme which will come into play for the welfare of the workers as a whole’’,  

The initiatives taken for the health and well-being of factory workers are highly appreciated by the audience.

At the end, Gonoshasthaya Kendra (GK) and Echotex Limited signed a MoU for implementing Health Insurance Scheme for 4 years project with a view to ensuring health and SRHR of the factory workers.