In a recent seminar addressing ‘The Current Labor Issues and International Trade Scenario’, Mohammad Halem, Executive President, BKMEA, stated labor conditions in Bangladesh's Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector won't be a trigger for economic or trade sanctions. Despite acknowledging the industry's pace trailing behind others, Halem emphasized that Bangladesh maintains superior labor conditions compared to manufacturing giants like China.

Highlighting changes in the labor law, Halem pointed out the collaborative effort between industry stakeholders to eliminate the trade union registration threshold. Now, the revised threshold stands at 15 per cent for factories with more than 3,000 workers and 20 per cent for units with fewer than 3,000 workers.

Fazlee Ehsan Shamim, Vice President, BKMEA explaind, the situation was political and urged the government to address it. On a different note, Mostafa Abid Khan, Economist and Member, Bangladesh Trade and Tariff Commission expressed optimism about low chances of tariff increases. However, he advised the industry to proactively navigate potential rises in individual penalties.