US govt urges firms to hold high standards in Bangladesh

14 Jun '13

1 min read

The US Government has urged companies working in Bangladesh to hold the highest standards in working conditions and human rights conditions.

At a press briefing, US Department of State spokesperson Jen Psaki said, “We think companies should hold to the highest standards their working conditions, human rights conditions, absolutely. And that’s something we have an ongoing dialogue with Bangladesh about.”

Answering a question on whether the American retailers doing business in Bangladesh should sign the binding Fire and Building Safety Accord, as done by several large European retailers, Ms. Psaki said, “We believe that companies need to make their own decisions.”

“Whether the companies sign on to this specific agreement (or not), we do hold them to the highest standards and expect that they will hold human rights and working conditions to the highest standards,” she added.

However, she added that the US Government has an ongoing dialogue with Bangladesh and internally in the interagency about the need to help Bangladesh and work with companies and work with the Government on the working conditions and the situation there.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

More Apparel/Garments News - Bangladesh...