The first point is a tricky one to be sure, though less of an issue for me, as I have been there and talked to them (through my 4 year old daughter who is fluent in Bangla after only a year, I can speak 3 words) so didn't list it as a concern.
In order to visit the factory I had to sign a confidentiality agreement so as not to reveal processes, pay levels and similar - all however within Bangladesh and international law/decent morals.
Niel is just starting up and fears competition with other overseas painting services so is playing it close to the chest. I've advised him that greater transparency is a better route, but he isn't confident enough for that yet.
A lot of the labour law is actually pretty good - its bad in Bangladesh as a whole, but good in the EPZ. This was set up with international cash so internation norms were established. As a result his staff are definatively in the upper 50% of the population pay wise (they get twice what a traffic policeman gets) and have the shortest hours outside the civil service (6 1/2 hours a day). Niels insisting playing it all by the rules which is really pissing off the local officials who are eager for bribes. He's even got an online blog where he records these tribulations most amusingly. I think a back-up plan is the publish them if the business doesn't work out!
He's also discovered that the quality of staff in Bangladesh is awful. Really really bad. To get a team of good painters with common sense and the ability to understand a model took over 6 months of recruitment and hes gone to extrordinary lengths to keep them (one lady whose mother in laws family was beating the baby - it was a girl - had her husband leave her when she discovered this and asks him for help, to ensure she did't move back to her mums village Niel ended up getting a flat for her to stay in!).
I think the staff are better off with their guarrentied 10% pay rise a year and redundancy package (you get 1 weeks pay per month of work if you are made redundant/fired) than profit sharing. It will be a while before any serious profit is made I feel as various 'hidden costs' in Bangaldesh keep appearing! Still he's rich and is prepared to look at the return over 10 years not 1 so hes not worried yet.
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). I mean how long did it take us when we started the hobby to get to grips with painting etc... 