The Bangladesh embassy in Washington has raised concerns that Bangladesh might face stringent measures, including sanctions, trade penalties, and visa restrictions outlined in the US Presidential Memorandum on labour rights.
While the memorandum has global implications and is not specifically targeted at Bangladesh, recent weeks of labour unrest in the country’s readymade garment industry, centred on demands for improved pay and marked by violent clashes with the police resulting in at least four worker fatalities, have prompted the embassy to issue a warning to Dhaka.
Interpreting the mid-November memorandum as a potential signal of action from the United States, Bangladesh’s largest apparel-export destination, the embassy has communicated its concerns to the commerce ministry.
The embassy’s letter, dated 20th November, highlighted that “labour issues in Bangladesh were specifically quoted by the Secretary of State and the acting Secretary of Labor at the launching ceremony” of the memorandum.
