The American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organisations has suggested that the US government should include telecommunication sector in its action plan for Bangladesh for reviving GSP facilities. The AFL-CIO made the suggestion alleging that the employees at Grameenphone, the leading mobile company in Bangladesh, have been struggling for the last two years to gain recognition of a union to represent their interests but the government repeatedly denied their application.
‘The company’s sustained efforts to suppress the union have been supported by government inaction. The night after the union’s initial application was submitted, Grameenphone terminated 163 employees including seven union officials,’ the AFL-CIO said.
Mentioning the name of Grameenphone the platform of the US trade unions said that the management issued new employee review policies and began scoring union supporters poorly, and set up a ‘participation committee’ to blunt organising efforts.
‘The continued delays and obstructions demonstrate an unwillingness on the part of the government to ensure fundamental worker rights in the telecommunication sector, part of a broader lack of concerted effort that cuts across industries and sectors,’ the AFL-CIO observed.
In the updated worker rights petition submitted to the office of the US Trade Representative, the AFL-CIO said that the recent developments in the telecommunication sector, where workers attempting to bargain have been met with repeated retaliatory actions from the employer are the particular concern for the organisation.
The general failure of Bangladesh government to promote internationally recognised worker rights cuts across sectors and industries, the organisation alleged.
‘Far from ensuring internationally recognised worker rights, the company [Grameenphone] has engaged in a sustained campaign to deny workers’ ability to organise and bargain collectively and the government has not responded,’ it claimed.
The US government earlier gave an action plan for improving labour conditions in garment and shrimps and export processing zones for reviving the GSP facilities.
Asked, labour secretary Mikail Shipar did not say anything about the allegation of the AFL-CIO over the telecommunication sector that filed with the USTR last month.
He, however, said, ‘The US provided 16 conditions to revive GSP facilities and we are working on the action plan.’
If they want to impose any new condition, it will not be accepted, Shipar added.
The AFL-CIO urged the US government not to offer generalised system of preferences facilities for Bangladesh until it makes consistent, tangible progress towards affording internationally recognised worker rights.
The AFL-CIO expressed its dissatisfaction over the proposed EPZ Act-2014, failure in building a transparent and publicly accessible database, lack in addressing anti-union discrimination and other unfair labour practices and delay in formulation of rules under the labour law.
It said that Bangladesh had failed to make meaningful and consistent progress towards affording internationally recognised worker rights, including freedom of association, organising and collective bargaining and acceptable conditions of work with respect to minimum wages, hours of work, and occupational safety and health.
Asked about the issue GP in a email statement to New Age on Thursday said that, ‘We have not been informed by any authority or regulator about this issue. As per our understanding Grameenphone has no relation with GSP restoration in USA. Grameenphone respects the right to freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining. We allow our employees to freely elect representatives to advocate employee matters and carry out their functions within Grameenphone, in accordance with national laws and regulations. Grameenphone will not obstruct any employee from forming a union if they comply with local laws and the Company’s codes of conduct.’
-With New Age input
