'Improve labour situation'

Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Nisha Desai Biswal has stressed improving labour conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry.

“I think that there is an important opportunity here for Bangladesh, for industry and labour, for government and the civil society...to work together to improve the labour situation and continue to boost the Bangladesh’s economy,” she said.

In her brief comment to journalists Biswal said she had a “very productive, good and frank conversation” with the stakeholders of the garment industry.

Garment owners' platform BGMEA president Atiqul Islam said they had a ‘good’ meeting with her.

"We are very positive and hope to get good news about resumption of US GSP," Islam said.

He said Nisha Desai Biswal appreciated the recent decision to hike minimum wages for workers. "We both said we would work together”.

Apart from requesting withdrawal of the US’s GSP suspension, he said they also asked for duty-free access of their garment products in US market.

Islam, however, said the BGMEA also conveyed their ‘concerns’ over the garment unrest despite agreeing to the Wage Board’s recommendations on minimum wages.

Biswal arrived at Dhaka on Saturday for a three-day visit, her first since she took over as Assistant Secretary of State on Oct 21.

File Photo

According to the US state department, Biswal will discuss shared global, regional, and bilateral priorities with the government, opposition, labour, and civil society leaders.

The US GSP issue and the state of the ready-made garment industries are likely to figure in her discussions, besides the key issue of political transition.

Earlier on Sunday she met with the Bangladesh Country Representative of the International Labour Organisation and talked with the two labour activists Kalpana Akhter and Babul Akhter who work for the American Solidarity Centre.

She is scheduled to meet the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia on Sunday.

She will also hold discussions with the Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque before leaving Dhaka on Monday night.