The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs has taken opinions of foreigners while discussing the Bangladesh EPZ Labour Bill 2016.Sources said US Ambassador, Canadian High Commissioner as well as representatives of European Union and International Labour Organisation expressed their eagerness to give their opinions while finalising the bill.The minutes of today’s meeting showed that the committee took the opinions of the foreigners as the bill was related to the country’s business and labour.Committee members, including Tajul Islam Chowdhury, Abdul Matin Khasru, Sahara Khatun, Shamsul Haque Tuku, Talukder Mohammad Yunus and Safura Begum attended the meeting with its chairman Suranjit Sengupta in the chair.Agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury also attended the meeting on special invitation.After the meeting, committee chairman Sengupta told the reporters that the committee put importance on their opinions as the bill is related to the country’s business and labour.Sources said that a US embassy official told the last meeting that the US had been working to help Bangladesh establish a healthy garment industry.He said the EPZ bill has been scrutinised but an issue related to the ILO has not been considered properly.He advised the committee to sit for a discussion with the labour unions and owners of industries.He also recommended for upgrading the law in line with the suggestion of the ILO.Canadian representative also echoed the opinion of the US representative.ILO representative laid importance on unionism at the EPZ. The committee recommended scrutinising Bangladesh EPZ Labour Bill, 2016, correction and addition to the bill based on the opinions of the guests, and submitting it again on the next meeting.Law and Justice Division secretary, Legislative and Parliamentary Affairs Division secretary, director general of Prime Minister’s Office, executive chairman and general manager of BEPZA, were present at the meeting, among others.The cabinet on February 15 gave the nod to the draft Bangladesh EPZ Labour Law 2016, with provisions for forming legal trade unions in factories inside the Export Processing Zones. Allowing trade unions in factories was the last of the 16 conditions set by the US to be fulfilled by the Bangladesh government for regaining the GSP (Generalised System of Preferences) in the US market.The US suspended the GSP for Bangladesh in June, 2013 after the Rana Plaza collapse citing shortcomings in workplace safety and labour rights.
