GSP programme: Bangladesh told to do more for workers’ safety

WASHINGTON: The United States has stated that it is not ready to restore special trade benefits to Bangladesh until the country does more for workers’ safety and rights in the apparel sector.

Nearly two years after the collapse of Rana Plaza factory building near Dhaka that killed 1,100 workers, the US Trade Representative said that the Bangladesh government needs to complete inspection of hundreds of more plants before benefits could be restored.

Washington removed Bangladesh’s benefits under the US Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme two months after the April 2013 disaster, denying the country preferential duty treatment on nearly $ 35 million worth of annual exports to the US.

The measure was limited, in that it did not impact exports from Bangladesh’s $ 20 billion garment industry. But it put pressure on the country and many of the world’s largest garment and fashion companies, which sourced clothes from Bangladesh manufacturers.

The US stressed Bangladesh government to inspect thousands of factories, shut those which do not meet safety standards and address worker rights issues.

More than 2,000 garment sector factories have been inspected by mostly US and European private-sector initiatives under government oversight, resulting in the closure or partial closure of 48 plants, according to the USTR.

Even so, it said, “further progress is needed, including to address serious worker rights issues, before reinstatement of Bangladesh’s trade benefits.”

“There is more work to do, building on the collaboration between the government of Bangladesh, private sector stakeholders, and the International Labour Organization, to address the concerns about factory safety in the apparel sector,” said US Trade Representative Michael Froman.

“We also urge the government to accelerate its efforts to ensure workers’ rights and to take measures to address continuing reports of harassment of and violence against labour activists who are attempting to exercise their rights.” AFP

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2015.

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