European Union trade commissioner Karel De Gucht has called for \u2018immediate\u2019 action by the Bangladesh government to improve health and safety conditions in the nation\u2019s garment industry after a factory collapse last month killed more than 500 people, reports Bloomberg.
\nThe government of Bangladesh must \u2018change something,\u2019 De Gucht said on RTBF radio on Sunday.\u2018Otherwise I am ready to launch an investigation, which may lead to the suspension\u2019 of Bangladesh\u2019s trade status with the EU, he said.
\n\u2018If the result of this is that the price of T-shirts and jeans increases a bit, well that\u2019s the way it is,\u2019 De Gucht said.
\n\u2018These people have the right to work in acceptable conditions, and we have a duty to push for that.\u2019
\nDe Gucht said he intends to discuss with EU and US buyers of Bangladesh products the development of a \u2018code of conduct\u2019 for their supply chains.
\nWorkers in Bangladesh face \u2018totally unacceptable health and safety conditions: this is modern slavery,\u2019 De Gucht said.
\nEarlier on Tuesday, the EU had warned that it would take trade action against Bangladesh through its generalised system of preferences that the country gets on the EU market if the country failed to ensure workers\u2019 safety in factories.
\n\u2018As Bangladesh\u2019s largest trade partner, the European Union is very concerned about the labour conditions, including health and safety provisions, established for workers in factories across the country,\u2019 the 27-nation bloc said in a statement issued by EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton and Karel de Gucht.
\nThe EU is Bangladesh\u2019s top trading partner, accounting for around 60 per cent of the country\u2019s exports and if it were outside the GSP, it would face normal import duties, which are 12 per cent for many clothing items ranging from men\u2019s jackets to women\u2019s blouses.<\/p>\n

-With New Age<\/span> input<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

European Union trade commissioner Karel De Gucht has called for \u2018immediate\u2019 action by the Bangladesh government to improve health and safety conditions in the nation\u2019s garment industry after a factory collapse last month killed more than 500 people, reports Bloomberg. The government of Bangladesh must \u2018change something,\u2019 De Gucht said on RTBF radio on Sunday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[10430,10499,10418],"yoast_head":"\n