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US rejects request for RMG quota increase |
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March
31, 2000 The US government has rejected Bangladesh's request for a 30 percent increase in the quota for garments export to US market, source concerned said.
It is not possible because if export quota for Bangladesh is increased, the quota for other countries have to be adjusted, the source quoted the US side as saying.
The US position was confirmed by Ambassador John C Holzman during a discussion with leaders of Bangladesh Garments Manufactures and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
When contacted, Minister for Commerce Abdul Jalil, however, denied rejection of Bangladesh's request. "The US side assured us that they would consider it with sympathy." he told this correspondent.
But a high official in the commerce ministry said that the US government rejected the request for 30 percent quota increase on the ground that Bangladesh's export quota was growing by 10 percent every year.
According to the existing agreement between the two countries, the quota would increase by 10 percent every year till 2005, he pointed out.
The US Ambassador, however indicated that there was a possibility of 'quota merger' if Bangladesh government increased labor standard and allowed trade union activities in the two Export Processing Zoned (EPZ), the source said.
The meeting with BGMEA leaders held on Monday also discussed child labor monitoring in the country's garments factories.
The existing agreement for monitoring of child labor was signed in July 1995 and it would expire in June this year.
The meeting agreed that a fresh memorandum of understanding (MOU) would be signed before expiry of the present agreement. A joint meeting of the BGMEA, US Embassy and International Labor Organization (ILO) would be held in May this year to finalize the memorandum. The new MOU is likely to be signed for the next three years.
BGMEA President Anisur Rahman Sinha said at the meeting that the condition of garments workers would further improve after total elimination of child labor from the factories. The workers should get weekly holiday and they should not be pressured to work over time.
Source: The Daily Star
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