Significant improvement in our labour rights

“US-Bangladesh TICFA Intersessional Meeting" held in Dhaka on 21 April under the Trade and Investment Agreement Framework (TICFA). The US delegation team was led by Brendan Lynch, an assistant United States Trade Representative (USTR) representative for South and Central Asia. Bangladesh delegation team was led by the Senior Secretary of Commerce Tapan Kanti Ghosh. In the meeting, an 11-point "Bangladesh Labour Action Plan" was presented by the US delegation team, asking for meaningful actions in the country. An analysis needs to be conducted regarding the possible impact of the conditions in Bangladeshs pretext.

An important point to be mentioned is that earlier, the then-Obama administration also provided a 16-point Bangladesh Action Plan in 2013 when the Generalised  System of Preferences (GSP) status was suspended for Bangladesh over poor labour rights and workplace safety. Bangladesh even after submitting the progress report, the US did  not reinstate the GSP for the country. Ultimately, in 2017, Bangladesh decided to ask for duty-free, quota-free access to the US market instead of GSP. However, although the US did not fulfill its promise, ten years later, it is again proving conditions in the name of the Bangladesh Labour Action Plan.

Bangladesh Labour Action Plan talks about improving labour rights in the country. The action plan highlighted amending the Bangladesh Labour Act, Acting against factory owners, management, and private individuals for violating labour rights, facilitating their establishment and management of trade unions, halting anti-trade union activities, and ensuring minimum wages.

Not just the wage, Bangladesh is implementing ILO standards for other parameters as well. On 2 November 2023, the Bangladesh Parliament approved amendments to the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, aligning it more with the International Labour Organization.

In recent conditions, the US has focused mainly on the formulation and activities of the trade unions in Bangladesh. Undeniably, there are some restrictions regarding the freedom of trade union activities. However, Bangladesh is not the only country with such limitations. In labour-intensive countries, it is common for trade unions to face restrictions. Thailand, Cambodia, and Indonesia are labour-intensive economies. Of them, Thailand and Cambodia share the same score as Bangladesh as per the Labour Rights Index of the Centre for Labour Research, specifically regarding trade unions freedom. Close competitors - Vietnam and even the US have a score of 25, the same as Bangladeshs in terms of trade union facilities in the country. Indonesia, the biggest manufacturer in the world- China, the next-door neighbour of Bangladesh- Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, could not score any in this parameter. Thus, some limitations to trade unions don necessarily indicate labour rights violations. However, slowly but steadily, Bangladesh is trying to improve the facilities offered to trade unions. But this requires time.

Bangladesh has already made tremendous progress in worker safety after learning from the Rana Plaza incident. The government amended the labour law twice and formulated the guidelines for applying the labour law. The industry responded positively. Today, Bangladesh has strengthened its position as the global leader in green, environmentally-friendly apparel factories, with 204 factories now boasting the United States Green Building Councils (USGBC) LEED certification (certificate for green factories). More than 500 garment factories are waiting to be certified by the United States Green Building Council. In line with the recommendations from two international platforms, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh and the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety, Bangladesh has invested more than $3 billion to improve workplace safety.

It is not that Bangladesh has not applied any punishment for labour rights violations. Even prominent individuals are not protected from punishment for labour rights violations in the country. However, it is true that the judicial process is complex and takes a long route, which makes it lengthy to bring the accused to the face of legal consequences. The long pending pile of cases is the main impediment to accelerating the judicial process. The Government should take measures to expedite the process.

The conditions mentioned in the action plan are nothing new to Bangladeshs labour rights scenario. Bangladesh has already implemented a few. However, implementation has its speed and pace. Changes do not come overnight.

Bangladesh is acting on labour rights not because of external pressure but for its good.

The writer is the Secretary, International Affairs of the Bangladesh Students League