Brussels, Belgium (BBN) – The European Union (EU) has called for substantial progress in labour issues for Bangladesh’s continued preferential access to its market.
“We’ve seen significant progress in these areas over the past months but more must be done. Substantial progress on labour issues is important for Bangladesh's continued preferential access to the EU market,” EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said in a statement on Thursday.
Currently, Bangladesh is enjoying the generalised system of preferences (GSP) facilities that provide for quota and duty free access to the EU member-countries.
The EU remains ready to assist Bangladesh with its reforms and monitors the implementation of the Sustainability Compact. “We’ll have a fuller assessment of the Sustainability Compact’s achievements on its first anniversary in July this year.”
The EU, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the authorities of Bangladesh responded to the tragedy by launching an initiative known as the Sustainability Compact, joined by the US at a later stage.
The Sustainability Compact outlines concrete commitments. The actions that stem from them lead to improved levels of occupational safety and health and promote responsible business conduct and greater respect of labour rights, with a particular focus on freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining.
The statement making the first anniversary of collapse of Rana Plaza in Dhaka that claimed over 1,100 lives and injured thousands more – the worst industrial disaster in the history of the garment industry.
“The tragedy revealed serious shortcomings in the occupational safety and labour rights of Bangladeshi workers in the export-oriented ready-made garment industry. It had to be a turning point for safety and labour issues in Bangladesh,” it noted.
BBN/SSR/AD-24Apr14-8:50 pm (BST)
