The Ministry of Commerce has undertaken a plan to hold talks with the Dhaka-based ambassadors of other countries, specially United States, Canada and European Union, in an effort to get back the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) for local export items.
It would explain the real situation of labour standard in Bangladesh a lack of which considered to have suspended the export preference, officials said.
Commerce Secretary Mahbud Ahmed will hold a meeting with the ambassadors in the middle of this month to inform them about how the government is trying to execute labour standards in consistent with the outline of the office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), said a senior official.
He said the ambassadors would then inform their respective authorities about the situation.
Commerce ministry sources said a three-member US team is now in Dhaka to hold talks about labour standard and how the government was executing the 17 conditions of USTR till December 11.
Commerce Secretary Mahbub Ahmed told Dhaka Tribune on Thursday last that the USTR officials have already went through our report on progress of implementation of the conditions discussed after signing the Trade and Investment Cooperation Framework Agreement (TICFA) with the USA.
He said the US government suspended the GSP facilities for a review from July 2013.
“We also discussed with the USTR officials about the efforts Bangladesh made to improve the working conditions in the readymade garment factories.”
Mahbub said they are satisfied with the progress of Bangladesh labour standard, but it does not mean that Bangladeshi exporters would regain the GSP facilities.
If we would not review GSP facilities for local export items in December, it will be reviewed in March, he also said.
The GSP status has been scrapped on June 27, citing serious shortcomings in labour rights and safety in factories after the Tazreen fire and Rana Plaza building collapse.
