The US Ambassador to Dhaka, Dan Mozena, said on Tuesday that GSP benefits are a privilege and not a right. These privileges are linked to certain conditions, including respect for essential worker rights. He made the remarks while replying to queries about Bangladesh’s apparel sector
during an online chat on Facebook, a popular social network.“In 2007 the AFL-CIO, the largest American labour federation, filed a petition asserting that Bangladesh did not fulfil these conditions in regard to respect for workers’ rights and, therefore, did not qualify to receive GSP benefits. The President concurred with these points raised in the petition and, therefore, suspended Bangladesh’s GSP privileges,” the envoy said.
He, however, said: “I am working now with the GoB (Government of Bangladesh) and the BGMEA to identify steps needed so that Bangladesh can regain GSP benefits.”
To another question regarding the GSP, Mozena said: “Effective unions are keys to ensuring workers’ rights and the benefits that you cite. I hope Bangladesh’s GSP privileges can be restored as Bangladesh fulfils the labour and workplace safety conditions that are conditions for the GSP.”
In reply to another question, he said the government, owners and workers must be serious in safeguarding the workers’ interests if Bangladesh is to become the world’s largest exporter of RMG and household textiles, replacing China. “I believe all workers have the right to work in clean and safe conditions and to receive fair wages in exchange for good work. Real unions are keys to achieving these qualities,” said Mozena, adding, “I believe that Bangladeshi workers can benefit from good salaries and work in good conditions, while Bangladeshi products remain competitive in the global market place.”
He also said: “I think all involved (Bangladesh government, owners, buyers and consumers) should care about the well-being of the workers. In my view, the first step in this regard is enabling workers to freely associate and organise themselves into real, meaningful unions so they have a collective voice to work with owners/management to address workplace safety issues.”
To another question, Mozena said: “I think all the ingredients for redressing the challenges confronting Bangladesh’s apparel sector are already here in Bangladesh.”
“The need now is for the government and industry to work together to create mechanisms that ensure that all Bangladeshi factories meet basic minimum safety standards. That know-how is already here in Bangladesh. BUET has a lot of expertise to share in this regard,” he said. On the conditions of the apparel factories, the envoy said: “Bangladeshi apparel factories should be clean and safe places to work in; workers should receive fair wages and the factories should not pollute. I believe that factories could meet all of these standards and still be the most cost-effective in the world.” “My goal is that Bangladesh becomes a Preferred Brand in the global market place,” he said.
“The key to improving the apparel sector lies in respecting workers’ rights and in owners’ upgrading their factories so that they pollute less and are more efficient,” he added.
On the power problem in the country, Mozena said: “The key to resolving the power problem is energy, and Bangladesh is not short of energy.”
“The country has significant natural gas resources and huge deposits of clean, low sulphur coal. Both need to be developed further to provide the energy needed to produce the power that would enable Bangladesh to become the next Asian Tiger,” he said.
-With The Independent input
