Workers and trade concessions

Now a BGMEA delegation is visiting Washington seeking duty-free entry into the United States of all products from Bangladesh and other developing countries. A question, Mr. Huq: Does the BGMEA support making that duty-free privilege conditional on Bangladesh's agreeing to respect the rights of its working men and women to safe working places?

Not for Bangladesh alone, of course, but for all countries that would benefit from the special concessions in the proposed new trade bill. That would be in accord with The Daily Star's May Day editorial which says that this year May Day "will be observed across the globe, including Bangladesh, with a fresh vow to institutionalise workers' rights." Now we have a timely opportunity to institutionalise those rights: in a trade bill now under consideration.