Obama to Suspend Trade Privileges With Bangladesh

[Omaha Steve]

Source: NY Times

By STEVEN GREENHOUSE

The Obama administration on Thursday announced plans to suspend trade privileges for Bangladesh over concerns about safety problems and labor rights violations in the country’s garment industry.

The administration has come under intense pressure to suspend the privileges in recent months — first after a factory fire there killed 112 workers last November and then after an eight-story factory building collapsed in April, killing 1,129 workers.

Trade experts said the administration’s decision would be a substantial blow to Bangladesh’s reputation and was likely to ratchet up pressure on its government to move more quickly to improve factory safety and end what Washington sees as widespread violations of workers’ rights. Administration officials said they have offered Bangladesh a road map for steps it needed to take to have trade privileges restored.

In a letter to Congress on Thursday, President Obama said he was suspending the privileges, effective in 60 days, because Bangladesh was “not taking steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights to workers in that country.”

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/28/business/us-to-suspend-trade-privileges-with-bangladesh-officials-say.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

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Munir Uz Zaman/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

A woman mourning a relative, believed to have died in the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory building in Savar, near Dhaka, Bangladesh. More than 1,100 people died.

[mtasselin]

1. Thank You

Thank you Mr. President, let us hope that this does the trick, but I am afraid that these companies will move to other countries where there will be no regulations. Then we will have to put pressure on those countries.

[PennsylvaniaMatt]

2. GREAT MOVE MR. PRESIDENT!

This is a great first start!

[ForgoTheConsequence]

3. Good first step.

Now lets call out the names of the western bosses who use these slave labor factories.

[Tumbulu]

4. We sure know a lot of them

Walmart, GAP for starters.

[Doctor_J]

5. That's two liberalish moves today

Here's hoping it becomes a trend

[GeorgeGist]

6. Bookmarked.

I'll check back in 60 days to see if he means it.

[sheshe2]

7. Thank you Mr President!

Steve

[L0oniX]

8. Wal-Mart will just veto this. n/t

[Snarkoleptic]

9. Good first step, now where do we stand on China?

>elephant in room twitches nervously<

[Iliyah]

10. Thank you Mr. President!

Over one thousand died and their families have no securties. Walmart just fired people who are standing up to them in the US, civil liberties are being tested here. No more caring about oneself, lets stand together.

[DainBramaged]

11. A start, now WalMart will try to exploit (fill in blank) to maintain their profit margin

Good find.

[Scurrilous]

12. Corporatist President K & R

[Cha]

13. Thank you, Pres Obama and your Admin..

PBO..

“not taking steps to afford internationally recognized worker rights to workers in that country.”

Maybe that will get them caring so much more about their workers.

[Union Scribe]

14. Excellent

It was a gross joke in the aftermath of that crime to hear the Bangladeshi government act like they were sooo concerned. Don't get me wrong, I place most of the blame on the corporations and would love to see sanctions against THEM too, but Bangladesh's leaders knew this was going on and had/have no intentions of stopping it.

[freshwest]

15. These people have suffered far too much for corporate profit.

[jtuck004]

16. The local Walmart has big black banners draped over the front. What happened?

Oh, they lost a money-making source. That explains it.

Maybe the drunk lady (chick would have worked here, though) with $20 billion can fix it. Her, latest net worth is US $26.3 billion, the second richest woman in America. This is gonna put a crimp in her louis vuitton accessories. She did help rejuvenate an airport. She is also known for not being one of the mean relatives to Sam Walton before he wrote his will. For this she has $26.3 billion. It is unknown if she contributes in any other meaningful way to the other 313 million people who need dollars too, or if she is just holding most of it for herself. Dear Alice.

Interesting factoid I read about them last week. Walmart doesn't own many of the things it sells. They don't take ownership until the cash register. So they don't get stuck with a lot of unsold merchandise, unlike smaller stores. It also takes out the cost of maintaining an inventory and the profit that would be built into that, and removes them from the sometimes short lives of the people who make that stuff they sell. Selling cheaper, being rewarded handsomely. Now that they have used up Bangladesh, where will they turn to? India? Might be too expensive. 'Course they might surprise me and suddenly go to Bangladesh on a mission, and bring them the help they might ask for. But I bet not. They really don't care about you, about the people. They are just a source of revenue to the family.

The workers at Walmart create incredible wealth for just a few, and are quite jacked-around on their labor. But as one of those employees, a 20's-something man who was dreaming of moving away from his parents home, when he could get enough hours, said "They pay us ok here, it's pretty good!". Later he told me it was around $8-$9/hr.

Good luck, kid.

[madrchsod]

17. they'll expand operations in burma, cambodia,and vietnam

india and pakistan is becoming too expensive and cheap labor african nations are still too unstable to exploit their workers.

there`s alway central america even though their labor is a bit more expensive the shipping costs are cheaper.