A delegation of the United States has arrived in the city to discuss workers’ rights and factory safety issues as the government and its global partners have mounted efforts in recent years for better working condition in the country’s garment industry, reports UNB. A statement of the US Embassy said the delegation led by Michael J Delaney, Assistant US Trade Representative for South and Central Asia, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), would join the Sustainability Compact review meeting beginning on Thursday. In response to the Rana Plaza tragic building collapse in April 2013, the United States joined the government, the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the European Union to launch a joint initiative named “Compact for Continuous Improvements in Labour Rights and Factory Safety in the Ready-Made Garment and Knitwear Industry in Bangladesh.” The delegation will join EU, ILO and officials from Bangladesh government for the second follow-up meeting where the parties would take stock of the progress achieved and look into the future steps, the statement said. The US has been working closely with its partners to ensure improvements in labour, health and safety conditions for Bangladeshi workers and to support responsible business conduct in the garment sector. The delegation would also look forward to a productive meeting where the players can come together to ensure a successful outcome, the statement said. Michael O’Donovan, director for Labour Affairs, Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR), Sarah Fox, special representative for International Labour Affairs, US Department of State, Bruce Levine, office director, Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL), US Department of State, and Eric Biel, associate deputy undersecretary, International Labour Affairs Bureau (ILAB), US Department of Labour (USDOL), are the other members of the delegation.
