After a review in August, to bring the necessary amendment of the ILO Bangladesh, soon the draft law of the proposed Export-Processing Zones (EPZ) Labour Act, 2016, will be before the parliament. Bangladesh submitted this commitment to the conference committee at the annual conference of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), now in progress in Geneva. Over the last few years the EU and the US, have been putting pressure on Bangladesh’s government to bring the necessary amendment to the EPZ laws for allowing full freedom of association.

EU has threatened the suspension of the GSP, if the EPZ law is not amended .Bangladesh in the Geneva meeting further stated that it had already held its first meeting, demonstrating that work was being done to conform to the standards of the ILO. Bangladesh confirmed to a better and safer workplace for workers and to uphold their rights to collective bargaining, freedom of association and their right to strike for realising their legal demands. Besides, a transparent remediation strategy needs to be created and shared with the committee by the end of August 2017.

The government further reiterated its achieving full and productive employment and decent work for all by 2030, in line with the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development. In order to achieve the goal there was a continuous cooperation, support and understanding that Bangladesh sought. .

According to the workers, the government had not kept any promise and had made no progress which made the situation worsened every year. This government’s failures had anyways no effect of any kind, the worker members state.