Sanctions On Bangladesh Will Not Be Labour Related
If sanctions are imposed by the US on Bangladesh, it would be mainly due to political reasons as against those related to labour issues, was the common concurrence of speakers at a seminar.
“The countries that speak about sanctions have ratified just two of the primary International Labour Organisation (ILO) norms, as against eight by Bangladesh,” President of the National Garment Workers Federation, Amirul Haque Amin said at the seminar.
“How can these countries impose sanctions which have ratified only two core norms against Bangladesh which has ratified eight norms? So, if sanctions are imposed, it will be due to other agenda’s and so will not be democratic,” he stated.
“The Bangladesh garment sector has continuously strived to improve labour rights in the previous few years and so, there is no reason to be afraid as the labour situation is not so grave,” Amin added.
“The labour issue has not touched a stage where sanctions need to be imposed. If sanctions are imposed, they would be for political reasons and not labour rights related,” President of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), Mohammad Hatem also said.
“The prevailing situation is political and so should be negotiated and resolved through diplomatic channels, which should be handled by the government, as factory owners or workers cannot do anything about this,” Hatem noted.
The Bangladeshi garment industry and exporters are primarily concerned about a new US labour policy introduced in November.
