Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the US business leaders to pursue the Obama administration to withdraw the decision of the suspension of Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facilities for Bangladeshi products, reports BSS.
The GSP suspension, instead of ensuring GSP compliance and workers welfare, will affect the interests of the workers, she said in a meeting with a delegation of US-Bangladesh Working Group of US Chamber of Commerce at her hotel suite in New York on Thursday.
The prime minister said GSP suspension in the name of safety and welfare of workers and compliance was not justified. The reason behind the suspension of GSP was because of a few isolated accidents is also not justified, she said.
“Such industrial accidents are frequently taking place in various parts of the world even in the developed countries,” Hasina said.
She also informed the delegation about the government's steps taken towards providing financial support to the families of the deceased and injured garment workers after the Rana Plaza collapse.
The present government, soon after taking office, has taken steps towards increasing the salaries and other benefits of the garment workers and now the government has also initiated a process in increasing their salaries once more, she said.
PM's Media Advisor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury briefed reporters after the meeting.
The US delegation said they want to resolve the problems relating to GSP as they think that the decision to suspend GSP was not proper on policy grounds. Hoping that the suspension order will go soon, the chamber leaders said they have already conveyed their opinion to the US government.
The meeting was a follow up to the US-Bangladesh Partnership dialogue held in Dhaka from May 26 to 28 of last year. The US trade leaders gave emphasis on high level dialogue between business and government leaders to promote trade and investment with Bangladesh, Iqbal Sobhan said.