The cabinet on Monday decided to form a committee to revise the already-finalised draft Labour Law (Amendment) Bill, 2013 in a bid to get back the GSP
facilities suspended by the US government last week.
Expatriates’ welfare and overseas employment minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, who was earlier the labour minister, would lead the committee for ‘further improvement’ of the labour law, cabinet secretary Mohammad Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told a press briefing.
Presiding over the meeting at the secretariat, prime minister Sheikh Hasina ordered formation of the new body to bring further changes to the draft bill that allows workers’ right to trade
unionism in the export-oriented apparel sector.
The government has already placed a draft bill in parliament to amend the Labour Law, 2006 for ensuring workers’ welfare and safety, according to officials.
‘The government hopes that further improvement of the labour law will have a positive impact on changing the US decision to suspend the GSP facilities to Bangladesh,’ the cabinet secretary said.
The US administration said on Thursday that it would keep GSP privileges suspended for Bangladesh until the worker safety in the clothing industry was upgraded in line with international standards.
GSP is a duty waiver scheme for products entering the US market from least developing countries and a few Bangladesh products were entitled to it.
-With New Age input
