Robert Blake says Bangladesh now at critical moment
“Absent significant collective changes that improve labor conditions and worker safety, the Administration should seriously consider suspending with conditions Generalized System of Preferences benefits to Bangladesh,” US Sen. Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee said on Thursday while delivering his opening statement at the hearing, ‘Labor Issues in Bangladesh’.
This was a hearing on labour rights in the South Asian nation, six weeks after the Rana Plaza collapse in Dhaka that killed 1,127 people.
The US government is likely to decide by end June whether to withdraw or limit trade privileges.
While only a small fraction of Bangladesh’s exports would be affected, given ongoing violations of the GSP workers’ rights criteria, GSP suspension would send out a strong signal that the United States is serious about protecting workers and improving workplace safety, Menendez said.
He mentioned, “Today – with the Rana Plaza collapse that killed at least 1,127 and the Tazreen factory fire in November which killed at least 112 workers in conditions similar to the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, and 44 more factory fires since — the brand “Made in Bangladesh” is in jeopardy.”
Just as the Triangle Shirtwaist fire galvanised a labour movement in the United States over a hundred years ago, Rana Plaza and Tazreen should be a turning point towards real, systematic change in Bangladesh, he said.
Since Rana Plaza, Menendez said, the Bangladesh government has committed to a number of steps to improve conditions, including amending its labor laws, raising the minimum wage for garment workers, registering more trade unions, and increasing the number of building inspectors. “Unfortunately, past promises have gone largely unfulfilled.”
Bangladesh has a long way to go in shifting from a culture favoring corruption to one that is friendlier to workers, enforcing pro-labor legislation, allowing for the freedom of association without repercussion, and enforcing building and fire inspection codes, he said.
“Factory owners must do their part as well to bring the workplace up to code. A recent survey by Bangladeshi engineers found that 60 percent of the factories it inspected are vulnerable to collapse. With somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 factories, the sheer scale of the problem is mind boggling.”
He also said global retailers have a real role to play and major European retailers have signed a binding building and fire safety agreement, but American retailers and manufacturers now need to cooperate on a similar industry-wide plan that includes workplace safety standards, cost-sharing for improvements and compensation for injured workers. “It’s time for collective action if there is going to be any systematic change.”
“But as I said in an op-ed that was published today, the tragedy at Rana Plaza – the deadliest accident of the global apparel industry – should be a wake-up call for all of us.”
He also explained how much the USA values its relationship with Bangladesh, a moderate, Muslim-majority democracy and a trade partner with annual flows topping $6 billion and supporting 10,000 American jobs.
The Senator said as the world’s seventh most populous country, Bangladesh has made dramatic strides on everything from global food security to gender equality to maternal and child health.
“But, not unlike other apparel exporters – Bangladesh is a poor, developing country with lots of economic challenges. What sets it apart from other countries is the sheer size of the industry and rate of growth, he said.
“In my view, what happens in Bangladesh will have a dramatic ripple-effect on the global apparel industry. A change in working conditions there has the potential to change conditions for workers everywhere.”
That is one reason why we want global retailers to stay in Bangladesh, work together, and adopt industry-wide standards to do everything possible to improve working conditions and make sure another Rana Plaza never happens again – anywhere in the world.
The fact is, most of us in this room own clothing that was made in Bangladesh – the second largest supplier of clothes. Major American retailers: Target, Gap, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein, and Walmart – all buy apparel from Bangladesh.
The Bangladeshi apparel industry now employs about 4 million – at least 80 percent of whom are women. It finances the government and influences its politics.
US Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, Robert O. Blake said Bangladesh is now at a critical moment in its history and Bangladesh’s efforts show the potential for a broader sea change in Bangladesh’s approach to labor issues.
“Still, much more work needs to be done. My hope is that Bangladesh will seize the current moment to strengthen labor rights and improve working conditions,” he said.
The US official also said the US Administration wants to see Bangladesh succeed, and we will remain engaged with all the relevant actors, both here and overseas, to support those efforts, according to US State Department release.
