The European Union (EU), which is a top export destination for ‘Made in Bangladesh’ products including apparels, and has pressed for safeguarding labour rights for Bangladesh to get the duty-free trade facility given under the Everything but Arms arrangement after 2023 (as per a letter sent to the Government recently), now, reportedly, wants the country to amend its existing labour law by June next year so as to stay eligible for the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) facility in EU market and the GSP Plus benefit after it graduates to a developing country from an LDC.
Media reports maintained this while adding that the EU has also sought an amendment to Bangladesh’s EPZ labour act by June 2022 as well so as to protect rights of workers and give them easy access to trade unions and ensure inspection by the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE) in factories inside an EPZ even as concerned stakeholders in Bangladesh, reportedly, maintain that introducing trade unions will be challenging even if they are, reportedly, ready to approve inspections by the DIFE and trade unions.
It may be mentioned here that EU’s ongoing GSP scheme is set to expire in December 2023 even as the new scheme will be launched from next year after the draft of the new GSP resolution gets the European Parliament’s go-ahead.
