The difference between Bangladesh and USA over the implementation of the Action Plan outlined for the restoration of GSP facilities stillpersists.
Although the government of Bangladesh has claimed that it has successfully completed all the sixteen conditions of the Action Plan, the US government is arguing that still three is room for more progress in the field of labor rights, freedom of association and safety issues.
However, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed yesterday clarified that Bangladesh was just only one condition away to comply with all the conditions of the Action Plan set by the US authorities to get back the GSP facility.
The rules of the amended Labour Act, the lone condition to comply with, will be doneshortly as it is now pending with the law ministry for vetting, said Ahmed.
“We’ll be able to achieve 100% compliances as soon as the rules are issued after the vetting within an expected one-week period,” said the minister while briefing the reporters after a meeting with the foreign diplomats in Bangladesh, including the US Ambassador Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat.
During the meeting, the diplomats and the commerce minister broadly discussed about the Sustainability Compact and National Tripartite Action Plan, which is aimed at upgrading the safety standard of Bangladesh industry especially in the RMG sector.
“I think tremendous progress has already been made on labor safety and some progress on workers’ rights,” said US Ambassador Bernicat.
In response to a question, the US diplomat said: “As we’ve satisfactory situation for all concerns, I want to sent the message to our USTR representative who will visit Bangladesh in mid-September to see the overall progress so far made.”
“We’re exceedingly pleasedto be here, all of us present here renewed our commitment to help Bangladesh and its RMG sector and still there are number of issues where we’ve worked together and continued to work further,” she added.
She also pointed out that there were a sixteen-point Action Plan and there was progress in many of the items but still there are some issues to be addressed which include workers rights, safety, online data for union registration, transparent data base on working conditions and complains and stopping unfair labor practices.
“We’re working with the United States Trade Representative (USTR) to focus on those area,” she added.
A USTR team will visit Bangladesh in September while Bangladeshi team comprising commerce, foreign and labor secretary will visit USA, said Ahmed.
“Following the view-exchange meeting, I am sure that the US administration will soon realisethat time has come to withdraw the GSP suspension for Bangladesh and provide trade facilities under the scheme, hoped the minister.
Among others, Benoit Pierre Laramee, high commissioner of Canada to Bangladesh, Sarah Cooke, head of DFID Bangladesh, Danish Ambassador to Bangladesh Hanne FuglEskjer, Labor Secretary MikalShipar, Senior Commerce Secretary Hedayetullah Al Mamoon and Foreign SecretaryShahidul Islam attended the meeting.