The USA reportedly urged the Government of Bangladesh to demonstrate the evidence of

visible progress with respect to workers’ rights in Bangladesh in instituting occupational safety
in the apparels sector, simplifying (and concluding) trade-union registration, improving
workers’ rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining, developing a publicly
accessible trade-union database, digitalizing labour inspection and strengthening labour
courts, among others. The USA also urged Bangladesh to take further steps to adhere to the
internationally recognized labour rights standards, including the ILO road map. Bangladesh
reportedly proposed to institute trade union registration, if 20% of the employees expressed
their willingness to be members of such bodies. In this regard, the USA sought a commitment
from Bangladesh in writing, but the latter did not comply.

As regards instituting workers' comprehensive and transparent database, Bangladesh

proposed to implement it by October 2023, but the USA reportedly set June 2023 as the
deadline to do so.

To the USA, working conditions and labour rights have become the crux of bilateral trade
relations as Bangladesh sets its sight on transition to a middle-income country. Concerns over
labour rights and working conditions cost Bangladesh access to the US GSP trade benefits.
Further, the EU has stated that the same concerns will determine if its trade benefits for
Bangladesh continue after it becomes a middle-income country. These shortcomings are also
causing Bangladesh to miss out on the much-expected investment flow from the USA.

While advocating for unfettered democracy in Bangladesh and insisting free, fair, credible and
inclusive parliamentary elections, the USA has expressly asserted that it would be constrained
to limit political relations (both G-to-G and public sphere), economic cooperation and
partnership with Bangladesh, including by curtailing funds channelled through the USAID and
investments from the US Development Finance Corporation (DFC), if the rule of law, the
principles of human rights and the people's and workers' rights to the freedom of expression
and assembly in Bangladesh were not seen to be upheld. Since the EU and the UK in general
and the European development cooperation agencies (such as DFID, GIZ, etc.) in particular
are aligned with and attuned to the US foreign policy and its objectives, it is likely that they
too, as the US allies in the neo-liberal West-led global economic order, may follow in the
footsteps of the USA and emulate the US course of actions in Bangladesh.

The US officials, including Deputy Assistant Secretary Her Excellency Afreen Akhter, Under
Secretary of State for Political Affairs Her Excellency Ambassador Victoria J Nuland and
Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs His Excellency Ambassador
Donald Lu, have reportedly raised the above issues in a series of meetings with the Hon'ble
Adviser to the Prime Minister for Private-sector Industry and Investment Mr. Salman F Rahman
and the Hon'ble Minister for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Mr. Anisul Huq on several
occasions.