101 brands have signed the 2018 Transition Accord, which goes into effect when the 2013 Bangladesh Accord expires in May. The 2018 agreement currently covers more than 1,200 factories and at least 2 million workers ... “The Accord’s legally-binding framework is the only credible way to guarantee that life-threatening fire and structural hazards are remediated in a timely manner in ready-made garment and textile factories,” said Valter Sanches, general secretary of IndustriALL Global Union.

Accord inspectors have so far carried out inspections on more than 1,800 factories supplying over 200 brands, identifying over 118,500 fire, electrical, and structural hazards. Eighty-three percent of workplace dangers identified in the Accord’s original round of inspections have been remediated ... The legally-binding document extends the Accord’s protections until 31 May 2021, unless a joint monitoring committee unanimously agrees that a set of rigorous conditions for a handover to a national regulatory body have been met prior to then.