The Joe Biden administration yesterday announced 11 conditions under the ‘Bangladesh Labor Action Plan’. Bangladesh has to comply with this condition to get more US investment.
The senior officials of the US trade delegation visiting Dhaka handed over the ‘Bangladesh Labor Action Plan’ to Tapan Kanti Ghosh, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce.
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This matter was discussed in the review meeting of the seventh phase of the Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (TIKFA) held in Dhaka last September.
On November 25, 2013, Bangladesh and the United States signed the TIKFA Agreement to establish an annual forum to identify and remove barriers to bilateral trade and investment growth.
Yesterday, Tapan Kanti Ghosh led for Bangladesh and Brendan Lynch, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia at USTR, led the US.
The first condition is that Bangladesh should take effective measures to prevent incidents of violence and harassment against union organizers, workers and to prevent legal protest activities and to bring those who violate the law under accountability.
In addition, Bangladesh should drop or resolve criminal charges against labor activists and publicly announce credible steps taken.
The second condition is to hold factory owners, management authorities and individuals accountable for any behavior that violates the rights of workers provided by the Bangladesh Labor Act.
Bangladesh should investigate and resolve specific allegations of unfair labor practices by employers and increase access to justice for workers and trade unions for anti-union discrimination, retaliation and other unfair labor practices.
Third, Bangladesh should amend the Bangladesh Labor Law in consultation with the International Labor Organization (ILO), so that freedom of association and collective bargaining are consistent with international labor standards.
Furthermore, Bangladesh needs to reduce the percentage of workers required to form a trade union from the current 20 percent to maintain consistency with international labor standards and to abolish the provision to dissolve trade unions if they fall below the minimum threshold.
Bangladesh should withdraw the requirement that a union hold two general meetings attended by all members and submit a constitution for registration to form a trade union.
The US government also wanted excessive restrictions on the right to strike and the removal of harsh penalties for illegal strikes.
Fourth, USTR asked to revise the Bangladesh Labor Regulations to ensure they are consistent with the revised Bangladesh Labor Law.
Tapan Kanti Ghosh said that Bangladesh demands duty-free market access for imported goods, especially garments made from imported cotton.
Besides, Bangladesh has also demanded to facilitate the process of investment and registration of pharmaceutical products in the United States to the International Development Finance Corporation (IDAF).
Earlier in 2013, the then Obama administration issued a 16-point ‘Bangladesh Action Plan’ when it suspended GSP for Bangladesh due to weak labor rights and workplace safety.
Bangladesh has already submitted a progress report on compliance with the 16-point conditions, but the GSP has not yet been reinstated.
