The interim government is committed to comprehensive labor reforms to attract more foreign buyers to the country, said Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus.
He said this when a large US labor and brand delegation met him at the chief adviser’s office in Tejgaon on Monday (November 25) to discuss labor issues.
“We want to bring our labor laws up to global standards. This is my commitment,” Professor Yunus told the delegation.
He said the interim government has appointed a special envoy only to reform the country’s labor laws and address concerns raised by local and international labor rights groups, the International Labor Organization and Western countries in this regard.
The delegation was led by US Department of Labor Deputy Under Secretary Thea Mei Lee and US Special Representative for International Labor Affairs Kelly Fay Rodriguez.
The two senior officials said that the US global labor rights group and top international brands that buy clothing and footwear from Bangladesh support Professor Yunus’s move to reform labor laws and create worker-friendly conditions in Bangladeshi factories.
Kelly Fay Rodriguez, citing the steps, including an 18-point agreement signed between the government and local unions, said that what the interim government led by Professor Yunus has done for the labor sector in the past three and a half months is “an amazing testament to what he has done.”
US officials called for the establishment of union rights in factories and annual wage reviews to protect millions of garment and footwear workers from inflationary pressures.
Regarding the provision of a minimum wage in garment factories, Thea May Lee said, “It is good for business and good for the economy.” She said that labor unions are “the training ground for democracy.”
Senior officials from three top US brands, PVH, Calvin Klein and Gap Inc., also attended the meeting.
Michael Bride, senior vice president of PVH Corporation, said they supported labor reforms in Bangladesh. They supported similar efforts in Cambodia.
Professor Yunus urged brands to announce price increases for their orders every January so that Bangladeshi manufacturers can increase workers' wages accordingly.
US Chargé d'Affaires Megan Boldeb was also present at the meeting. "The United States fully supports Professor Yunus's comprehensive labor reforms," she said. "We want to partner with you," she said.