UK Minister for International Development Alan Duncan meets a Rana Plaza survivor at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Savar yesterday. Photo: British High Commission

The Rana Plaza building collapse has created an opportunity for Bangladesh to improve working conditions, safety and security in garment factories, visiting UK Minister of State for International Development Alan Duncan said yesterday.
“This year has to be a year for Bangladesh to ensure standards in the garment industry. Factories have to be registered and inspected properly,” Duncan told reporters at a briefing at the British High Commission in Dhaka.
The UK minister arrived in Dhaka on Monday to check progress on health and safety standards in the garment industry.
Duncan said still there is a big gap in standards in the garment sector despite the passage of almost one year after the Rana Plaza collapse.
“The big problem is with the size of the garment industry that has grown far more than the regime and regulations in the country,” the minister said.
Duncan said the UK is keen to help Bangladesh upgrade safety and security in the garment factories.
He also announced the launch of three new projects to improve working conditions in factories.
The projects will help all levels of staff, factory owners, management, supervisors and workers to work together to improve the working environment and productivity in their garment factories.
The projects will also provide training for middle management to improve knowledge and understanding of labour and safety standards and how to apply these in their factories. This includes information about Bangladesh's new labour laws.
The schemes will improve the healthcare and advice given to the factory workers, and train nurses who work in factory clinics to increase the range of services they provide.
The visiting UK minister said his government is providing 1.8 million pound sterling in addition to 4.8 million pound sterling his country is giving through International Labour Organisation to improve working conditions in the garment factories.
Duncan also said the ILO projects launched in October last year have already made some progresses.
Earlier in the morning, the minister visited some Rana Plaza survivors at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed in Savar.