Sri Lanka Government Creates Fair Competition Environment For Garment Workers

With regard to the United States' retrial of Sri Lanka's GSP, the media have misleading statements and inconsistencies, so the Sri Lanka Federation of trade unions (TUC) believes it is necessary to clarify the truth of the general public's system of generalized GSP.

The GSP preferential tariff system in the United States has granted substantial tariff reductions to certain products exported from Sri Lanka to the United States.

This is a preferential treatment, or a preferential treatment for certain countries with good labour standards, if laws and practices are consistent with the International Labour Organization (ILO) convention.

So it is not a question of market access, but it is obviously a question related to privileged treatment.

The union of labor and industrial organization (AFL-CIO) has submitted an indictment to the US government, many of which focus on the fact that many employers in the clothing industry have done a lot of systematic and systematic violation of labor laws, and have been recognized by the labor law enforcement authorities.

It is claimed that the purpose of the GSP is to review local labour laws.

This statement is groundless.

GSP reviews are mainly the illegal events listed in the indictment and the specific circumstances arising therefrom.

A major prosecution has not yet taken place since the law was passed more than 10 years ago against unfair labor practices.

The law becomes a virtual empty essay.

All prosecutions received by the quasi judicial organs of the Geneva ILO in recent 20 years are related to the organization of the clothing department of Sri Lanka.

Low wages and excessive labor pressure have a significant impact on women's clothing workers.

A government report released in 2007 said that compared with women engaged in security services, clothing workers were chronically malnourished, the level of anemia was shocking, and workers' health deteriorated.

Because of these terrible exploitative working conditions, workers are leaving the garment industry, and a large number of jobs are vacant today.

According to repeated reports by local media, employers find it hard to hire workers, so they have to attract workers with various strategies.

The actual situation of these women workers is far from what the outside world expected.

Now that the time has come, Sri Lanka should stop this lawless exploitation.

The Federation of trade unions strives to put an end to the politicization of employers in the execution of labour laws, and create a fair and fair competition environment for garment workers and trade unions.

If it is not politicized, it ensures that the workplace has an atmosphere of respect for the law, so that workers can get better results and help workers feel satisfied with the working environment.

Reducing the political pressure of the government.

The Union hopes that the government will accommodate the plight of the garment workers.

The union urged the government to immediately start a real and constructive advance in related issues so as to rectify the order and save the US GSP in Sri Lanka.