The United States Administration will review the GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) privileges for Bangladesh in December this year, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said on Wednesday.
He said this while talking to reporters after a meeting with US Ambassador to Dhaka Dan Mozena at his office. Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed and Labour Secretary Mikail Shipar also attended the meeting. On June 27, US President Barack Obama suspended the GSP facilities for Bangladesh citing Dhaka’s inability to uphold worker rights and safety.
About the meeting, the Foreign Secretary also said, “We discussed in details as to how Bangladesh can get back the GSP facilities.”
About the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) statement on Monday over the amended Labour Law in which the United Nations labour agency said that the amendments did not address some of its specific concerns and fallen short of international standards, he said that the ILO had always been consulted by the government on the law before placing in parliament. “Our Ambassador to Geneva Abdul Hannan will meet ILO officials today (Wednesday) to discuss the issue,” he added.
Speaking to reporters, Ambassador Mozena described the meeting as very fruitful and productive.
He also said, “We discussed about the sustainability compact adopted on July 8 in Geneva in which America is associated.” “We went through each point and assessed the progress that has been already made and assessed about the steps needed additionally and who to take those steps,” said the envoy, adding, “For me this is a very timely meeting because on Saturday I am going back to Washington to pursue the discussion on this issue.”
He refused to make any comment on the ILO statement on the Labour Law.
On the amended Labour Law passed in parliament on July 15, Mozena said, “I don’t want to speak until I read it. There is no official document of translation yet. I am very very eager to get a copy and then I will quickly read it and the government of the United States will have their view on it.”
“I am very hopeful that the reform legislation will satisfy ILO requirement for enabling environment to launch better work programme – that’s my hope,” he said.
About trade unions in the Export Processing Zones, the Ambassador said, “When you read the Action Plan and the Compact, you see that it is part of it.”
There needs to be a process to deal with the commitment that Bangladesh made on July 8, he added.
-With The Independent input
