US focuses on labour issues in BD
Staff Reporter :
Amid the recent industrial tension over the minimum wage for the RMG workers, the United States has talked with the Bangladesh representative in New York on the recent labour issues.
Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Muhammad Imran met with acting US Secretary of Labour Julie Su in Washington DC on Thursday and had an exclusive interaction on various bilateral issues, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.
The meeting took place on the sidelines of an event organised by the US Department of Labour in the US capital on the same day.
During the meeting, the Ambassador and the Acting US Secretary of Labour discussed about current labour situation in Bangladesh and steps taken by the government to improve workers’ rights.
They agreed to remain engaged at different levels of the two governments on labour standard of Bangladesh and further understand the concerns of the parties.
The United States and other international organision have recently been focusing on the labour issues of Bangladesh and urging the government to pay more attention to ensure all rights of the labours including fair minimum wages and the amendment of the existing laws relating to the labour.
Meanwhile, on December 13 the Amnesty International called for an end to labour rights violations in Bangladesh and emphasized the need for upholding corporate accountability, as the rights of workers in the country face significant threats. In a public statement, Amnesty said that workers in Bangladesh face multiple barriers in their ability to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, freedom of association and collective bargaining.
“These workers have some of the lowest wages in the region and extremely high instances of occupational injury and death,” it said.
Amnesty International called on the Government of Bangladesh to take immediate and concrete steps to ensure workers have their rights to freedom of association, assembly and expression respected and that legislative changes are made so workers and their dependents can obtain adequate and timely compensation for occupational injuries and deaths.
The global community is once again expressing concern for workers’ rights in Bangladesh, particularly regarding issues such as minimum wages.
Amnesty recommended that the government must respect, protect and promote the rights of workers including ensuring that it properly implements its duty to protect workers against abuse by third parties, including businesses, through appropriate policies, legislation, regulations and access to remedy.
