The United States has asked the caretaker government to lift ban on trade union activities and improve labour rights in the garment factories before it holds a hearing on Bangladesh's GSP facilities in October, an official said.
The call came late last month at a meeting between Bangladeshi diplomats and the US Trade Representative in Washington DC where the country's labour rights situation came under heavy flak from the world's top trading country.
During the meeting, the USTR handed a list of demands to the Bangladeshi officials, seeking progress on key labour issues before the Washington holds public hearing on GSP facilities, under which some Bangladesh products get duty free access to America.
"Lifting of prohibition on trade union activities throughout the country," was the top of the US demand, according to a letter sent by Bangladesh's commercial councilor to the US Kazi Md. Shamsul Alam.
The caretaker government, which came to power in January 2007 after a state of emergency was imposed, banned union activities throughout the country under the emergency power rules (EPR).
Labour and local government advisor Anwarul Iqbal last month said the government would relax the trade union ban soon, but no specific actions have been taken since then.
The US also wants 'actions' in almost all the key labour issues dogging the garment sector, which accounts for some 76 per cent of the country's US$14.11 billions export earnings, and the shrimp industry, said Alam.
The US officials have pointed that "they have not seen any progress on workers right situation on RMG sector," Alam said, adding it demanded "government intervention to enforce of minimum wages in all the factories".
"The US government wants to see enforcement of the tripartite agreement in the garment sector signed between workers, factories and the Bangladesh government in 2006," he said.
Under the agreement, minimum wage in the garment sector has been fixed at Tk 1662.50, but till June this year, nearly ten per cent of the country's more than 4000 factories have failed to implement it.
It also wants "registration of workers union in the factories, stop termination of workers for being members of workers unions, provide appointment letters to every workers".
For shrimp industry, the US government urges elimination of child labour in the country's 157 shrimp processing plants situated in southern districts.
The USTR wants to know the number of inspections by factory inspectors in shrimp processing plants and evidence of inspection. It also asked about the imposed penalty in case of violation of labour laws.
It also asked about the incentives offered by the government to keep children in school, whether there is any special cell in the ministry of labour to deal with the child labour, any activities of mobile court to eliminate child labour and safe working environment.
"The above questions raised by the USTR officials should be addressed in the pre-hearing brief to be submitted by Bangladesh to USTR as well as in the public hearing on GSP review in USTR," the commercial councilor said.
A pre-hearing brief will have to be submitted to the USTR by next month.
Pre-hearing brief should include actions taken by the government to improve workers right situation in Bangladesh since the last hearing in October 2007 on the alleged violations of rights in the EPZs, garment and shrimp processing industry.
The USTR was led by Aaron Rosenberg, deputy assistant USTR for labour affairs and Marideth Joy Sandler, executive director of GSP programme USTR.
Victoria Kader, Bangladesh representative to USTR, also attended the meeting.
