‘Implement LDC action plan, amend labour law to get GSP Plus’

The European Union (EU) wants Bangladesh to implement the National Action Plan (NAP) by 2026 and amend the labour law soon to obtain the GSP Plus to the EU markets.

A high-powered visiting EU delegation conveyed the message in a meeting with the senior officials of commerce, labour and foreign ministries in Dhaka today.

The NAP is a roadmap of the Bangladesh government to address the challenges of the LDC graduation which is supposed to be implemented by 2026.

Meanwhile, the EU's Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP +) gives developing countries a special incentive to pursue sustainable development and good governance.

The six-member EU trade committee led by Heidi Hautala held the meeting with the officials of the three ministries at the Foreign Service Academy to assess the country's labour and human rights and the workplace safety issues.

Tapan Kanti Ghosh, senior secretary to the commerce ministry, led Bangladesh's side in the meeting.

The EU has been putting pressure on Bangladesh over the last few years to amend the labour law and make a uniform law for both the workers at Export Processing Zones (EPZs) and outside of the EPZs.

Currently, the labour law allows full freedom of forming unions of the workers outside of the EPZs but the workers of the EPZ factories have the Workers' Participation Committee.

So, the EU has been suggesting the government for amending the labour law and making a single law for all workers for obtaining the GSP Plus.