Govt to apprise dev partners of initiatives in improving labour standards
The government is going to apprise today the development partners and international lenders of its initiatives in improving labour standards including amendment to labour law,
officials of the Economic Relations Division said.
The government will also inform the development partners about the progress of formulating new audit act and foreign donations act to bring transparency and accountability in government expenditure and using foreign donations by the non-governmental organisations, they said.
‘At a plenary session of the Local Consultative Group to be held Sunday at the National Economic Council auditorium, the ERD will update the development partners about the current 4 per cent export duty,’ he said.
Monno Ceramic Industries vice-chairman Moynul Islam said that the business of ceramic industry faces ruination in the aftermath of the decision.
Bangladesh’s ceramic industry had been growing after the US had imposed anti-dumping duty on China ceramic products, but the latest decision leaves Bangladesh frustrated, said Moynul.
‘The fact that inquiries for procurement from the US had increased significantly in the recent times was an encouraging sign, but the decision to suspend GSP facilities has disappointed the sector people,’ Moynul said.
He also said that the intention of the government to protect some greedy and inefficient garment factory owners was to blame for the suspension of the GSP facilities.
‘Our leadership had problems. The government has to take initiatives to restore trade facilities to the US market,’ Moynul added.
Ceramic exports brought $33.75 million in the financial year 2011-12 with more than 10 per cent of total export earnings coming from the US thanks to the GSP facilities.
Bangladesh exported goods worth $35million or 0.72 per cent of the total to the USA under its Generalised System of Preference programme.
As per the statistics of United States International Trade Commission programme Bangladesh’s total amount of export to the USA was $4,878million in 2012.
Of the items, goods worth $35million were exported to the USA under the GSP, commerce minister Golam Mohammad Quader told the Parliament recently.
-With New Age input
