Align labour law with global standards: US agency
The United States has urged Bangladesh to align its domestic labour laws with international standards, according to the 2025 Trade Policy Agenda and 2024 Annual Report published yesterday by the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR).
The report highlights trade agreements, labour rights, and various bilateral and regional engagements.
While Bangladesh has made progress in worker safety over the past decade, the US continues to push for legal reforms to ensure compliance with global labour standards.
During the April 21, 2024, intersessional meeting of the US-Bangladesh Trade and Investment Cooperation Forum Agreement (Ticfa) Council in Dhaka, the US presented a Labour Action Plan outlining steps for Bangladesh to address concerns over worker rights, including violence and harassment, unfair labour practices, freedom of association, and collective bargaining.
The US has also emphasised amending the Bangladesh Labour Act in line with international standards and establishing a fair and transparent minimum wage process for garment workers.
At the Ticfa meeting, the two sides also discussed a range of bilateral trade issues, including agricultural trade, services, investment, digital trade policies, and intellectual property protection and enforcement.
Following the Rana Plaza garment factory collapse in 2013, the US determined that Bangladesh had not met the eligibility requirements of the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) due to inadequate progress in ensuring worker rights and safety. As a result, Bangladesh's GSP trade benefits were suspended.
In 2024, USTR officials visited Dhaka and met with government representatives, trade unions, NGOs, and apparel manufacturers to discuss labour reforms in the country's readymade garment (RMG) sector.
Throughout 2024, USTR also engaged with US apparel brands and trade associations to advocate for a fair minimum wage review process for Bangladeshi garment workers and to promote their rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining.
The US has maintained its broader commitment to strengthening labour rights globally. In 2024, USTR worked with other US government agencies, stakeholders, and trading partners to enforce trade-related labour provisions, share best practices for worker rights in the textile and apparel sectors, and implement the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act -- a US law that prohibits the import of goods made with forced labor in China's Uyghur.
Additionally, the US engaged with textile and apparel brands, retailers, and trade associations to enhance worker safety and promote labour rights in Bangladesh's garment sector.
In 2024, USTR also collaborated with trading partners to advance sustainable and circular textile practices.
Under the US–Chile Free Trade Agreement, managing post-consumer textile waste and promoting reuse, recycling, and responsible disposal have been identified as priority areas in the 2025-2028 US–Chile Work Program for Environmental Cooperation.
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