3-member EU team arrives today to assess labour reforms

A three-member European Union delegation will be arriving in Dhaka today on a five-day visit to assess the progress of Bangladesh's labour sector reforms.

The team, led by EU External Service Action Service's Deputy Managing Director (Asia Pacific Division) Paola Pampaloni, will hold meetings with trade unions, civil society organisations, and top officials of the ministries of foreign affairs, commerce, and labour, according to foreign ministry officials.

The visit comes at a time when readymade garment workers have been demonstrating for better pay amid the sharp rise in prices of essential commodities, while opposition political parties are enforcing blockades one after another following BNP's October 28 rally ahead of the upcoming national elections.

Police sued 11,000 unnamed workers over vandalism and clashes with law enforcers in Gazipur this week during a labour unrest that followed the government's announcement of a new minimum wage of Tk 12,500, up from Tk 8,000.

However, the workers are demanding Tk 25,000 as the monthly minimum wage.

The EU delegation will raise the issues of minimum wage, freedom of trade union, and implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) in the labour sector, a trade union leader told The Daily Star yesterday.

Bangladesh adopted the NAP (2021-2026) on the labour sector, which is linked to a roadmap submitted by Bangladesh to the International Labour Organization (ILO) Governing Body.

The roadmap aims to improve the country's observance of labour rights, including freedom of association and the right to collective bargaining, a labour ministry official said.

The EU is Bangladesh's largest export destination: total exports to the EU amounted to €24 billion in 2022. The EU has been providing Bangladesh duty-free access to its market while also helping improve safety in the RMG sector since the Rana Plaza collapse in 2013.

It has also extended the GSP facility to Bangladesh until 2029, which goes beyond the LDC graduation year of 2026.

After 2029, the GSP facility will not be there, but the EU has another scheme for duty-free market access, which is GSP Plus.

Bangladesh will have to go through additional and stricter conditions, including the improvement of human rights, democracy, environment, and labour rights, to avail of the facility, EU embassy officials in Dhaka said.