Bangladesh Govt to Review Deficient Labour Law Proposal

Bangladesh Government to Review Deficient Labour Law Proposal

Brussels, 2 July 2013 (ITUC OnLine): The ITUC is encouraged that the government of Bangladesh has heeded the demands of the international trade union movement to continue to improve its draft labour legislation. The government is reported to have decided to review proposed amendments which had already been approved by the cabinet and a parliamentary committee. The decision by the US to suspend trade preferences due to Bangladesh's continued non-compliance with ILO standards no doubt influenced the government's decision. The EU is also in the process of reviewing market access for Bangladesh exports.

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary, said "The hard work of trade unions and the US decision to suspend trade preferences seems to have balanced out the dominance of employer interests over the Bangladesh government's decisions on labour law. But we are still concerned that backdoor lobbying and influence from powerful garment bosses will weaken the government's last-minute decision to finally accept that workers' rights must be respected. The government must take this opportunity and make sure it gets it right."

See also ITUC OnLine of 28 June: http://www.ituc-csi.org/us-suspends-bangladesh-trade

ENDS

© Scoop Media