Exporters worried, unions urge improvements
FROM PAGE B1
“We are worried about the fate of garment export from Bangladesh to the US,” he told The Daily Star over the phone.
However, the US should keep in mind that they give a lot of trade facilities, including zero-duty benefits, to countries like Africa, Vietnam and Myanmar where there are a lot of questions about labour rights, he said.
On the other hand, Bangladesh is bringing improvements to the labour rights situation step by step and has come a long way when it comes to ensuring labour rights and practices in consultation with international communities, Hassan said.
Mohammad Hatem, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said he was worried as “no labour rights violation” took place in Bangladesh.
Blinken talked about the global labour rights situation, not only about Bangladesh, he said.
Union leaders disagreed.
Four workers died in the latest spell of labour unrest over fixing the minimum wage of the garment sector, said Nazma Akter, president of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation.
The workers and union leaders face difficulties exercising freedom of association, freedom of speech and freedom of movement, she said.
The government and factory owners should be very much proactive towards ensuring labour rights, she said.
Akter also suggested withdrawing all the unrest-related police cases against workers, refraining from harassing and intimidating the workers and reassessing a recently declared wage structure to improve the sector’s image abroad.
Amirul Haque Amin, president of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, also suggested that the government and factory owners be more focused on ensuring labour rights.
He demanded withdrawal of 43 police cases against the workers and unconditional release of 115 workers and seven union leaders under arrest.
He also demanded immediately initiating investigations over the four deaths.
Mustafizur Rahman, distinguished fellow of the Centre for Policy Dialogue, said Bangladesh should take note of the US statement and address those concerns as the country was the single largest export destination and a major source of cotton.
Bangladesh should address the labour rights issues and trade union concerns, something that International Labour Organization also suggested, he said.
Mostafa Abid Khan, a former member of the Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission, said it seems that Blinken’s speech was very carefully drafted.
It is nothing to be worried about now but the need to bring improvements to the labour rights situation should also be recognised, he said.
The US does not give any duty benefit to Bangladesh on exports, he pointed out.
Local garment exporters face a 15.62 percent duty on export to the American markets. The exports amounted to over $10 billion last fiscal year, nearly 90 percent of which was garment items.