The two-member United States Trade Representative (USTR) team that visited Dhaka early this month laid emphasis on holding 'orientation training courses' for garment leaders to make sure their trade unions function free of any hassle, sources with the trade body of apparel makers have said.
The team also has called for developing and implementing a mechanism for training industrial police who guard the ready-made garment (RMG) sector and oversee workers' freedom of association at tense moments. The purpose of the training should be to 'prevent intimidation, harassment and violence against labour activists.
Senior commerce ministry officials told the FE that last week the team led by Deputy Assistant US Trade Representative for South Asia Mara M Burr had reviewed the progress so far made in making the Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA) functional.
The review widely covered reforms in the garment sector including the improvement made so far in fire and factory safety, labour laws and peaceful functioning of trade unions in garment factories.
Secretary of the Ministry of Commerce (MoC) Hedayetullah Al-Mamun said the talks concentrated on future of the TICFA, implementation of the National Action Plan in the garment sector now being executed with support from the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and improvement of garment workers' living condition.
He also said out of the 1720 factories inspected by the Europe-based retailers' group Accord and the North American retailers' group Alliance so far only 27 factories were found non-compliant with fire and building safety requirements. Their operation was suspended.
He further said the government was already training industrial police alongside holding fire extinguishing and management courses to develop a quick response system to avoid fire and such other tragedies in the garment sector.
He said the review took place under the auspices of TICFA that provided a platform for discussions on important trade issues. In the meetings the Bangladesh side made a strong plea to withdraw suspension of the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility in the US market and allow duty-free market access of Bangladesh's exports, particularly garments.
A similar review meeting is scheduled for October or early November, according to the commerce secretary. Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) leaders earlier pleaded that the TIFCA should produce tangible results by allowing duty-free export of RMG products to the US market.
The first TICFA meeting took place in November last year after signing of the deal in April. The USTR team also laid emphasis on safety issues and improving the living condition of frozen food industry workers, particularly those employed by shrimp processing plants, the commerce secretary said.
The frozen food industry sources said when shrimp export to the USA almost halved in the recent past, the US pressure was unjustified.
The USTR team held meetings at several levels and the official sources said they had outlined the progress so far made in improving the working condition in the garment sector following the Rana Plaza tragedy. Reform in the frozen food sector was also underway, they said.
They told the team that a total of 334 trade unions were so far registered in the garment factories; mostly during the period between January 1 and July 2014. Moreover, labour unions and their members were more protected now through amendments to the labour law.
In view of demands that all harassment and charges against labour leaders in the garment sector be dropped, the Bangladesh side told the team that such charges against two leaders had already been dropped.
The team was told that the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) already allowed formation of workers' welfare associations (WWA) at 208 enterprises in export processing zones (EPZs) up to April 2014 and their right to collective bargaining and strike. It also abolished the practice of blacklisting errant workers in EPZs in early 2013
The BEPZA also delegated some authority of its chairman to the authorities' local EPZs and designated eight labour courts for the eight EPZs, in addition to setting up one appellate tribunal for appeal. They so far settled 42 cases out of 114 lodged by workers.
The BEPZA also appointed one conciliator and appointment of an arbitrator was in the process. The commerce secretary said that the USTR team was fairly convinced of the progress made in the garment sector within the last one and a half years.
USTR suggests training for factory owners, police
Faruque Ahmed | Published: August 17, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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