The United States said the suspension of Generalised System of Preference (GSP) privileges provided an opportunity to Bangladesh for development towards labour reforms and improving the working environment, according to a PTI report.
“The US believes the move represents an opportunity for Bangladesh to take action for improving labour and safety standards,” said State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Friday.
“The US will work with Bangladesh to restore its GSP privileges, but that requires going through a process that can make improvements in the working conditions there,” he said, one day after the suspension of GSP facilities to Bangladesh.
The GSP is a 37-year-old trade preference programme under which the United States provides duty-free treatment to many imports from developing countries.
The suspension will become effective 60 days after the publication of the presidential proclamation in the Federal Register.
“We will continue to work with them for taking additional substantive actions to improve workers’ safety. Addressing these underlying labour rights and workplace safety issues will help ensure that there’s never again another fire or collapse like we saw in some of these incidents,” Ventrell said.
The country is working with Bangladesh to revoke the suspension as the latter is taking a series of measures to bring its labour laws on par with international standards.
“Our goal, of course, is not only to see the restoration of GSP benefits, but to see Bangladeshi workers in safe and appropriate working situations,” US Trade Representative Mike Froman said on Thursday.
He said the passage of labour laws would be an important step for Bangladesh to restore its GSP benefits.
“We are discussing a number of other actions with them that they can take to enhance workers rights and safety. We will provide support and assistance as they need,” he said.
Froman said the United States is in a continued dialogue with Bangladesh to see the necessary actions it takes to protect its workers, and ultimately reinstate the GSP programmes.
“While GSP covers only a small portion of the US imports from Bangladesh, we think the GSP issue has a greater impact than the numbers suggest, given the public attention that GSP has received in Bangladesh, and the importance it attributes to it,” he said.