In a press release issued today, the Lankan (TUC) says that the AFL-CIO submitted the complaint to the US government as all efforts of local unions to address issues with Sri Lankan labour authorities failed despite repeated attempts.
"This petition could have been avoided if local labour authorities took immediate actions regarding this matter and acted effectively and impartially," the TUC said.
The United States announced on June 30 that its Trade Representative (USTR) has accepted a petition from American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) to review whether Sri Lanka met Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) eligibility criteria related to worker rights in 2009.
The TUC says that since these international violations and exploitations have been exposed it is no longer possible to sweep these issues under the carpet or to cover them up with fake PR campaigns such as "garments without guilt".
"The time has come for all stakeholders in the labour sector to accept the situation," the TUC said urging all employers of the apparel sector to recognize trade unions, stop anti-union discriminations and respect ILO principles on Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining.
The trade union expressed hope that the government will accept the situation and will communicate with the US Government authorities to come to a reasonable solution and save the GSP benefit.
The USTR said the acceptance of the petition is not a decision to revoke GSP and it does not set a deadline for a decision on action on GSP privileges.
A formal, collaborative process to work with the Sri Lankan government to address the concerns in the petition and work to improve support of and adherence to worker rights will begin, but the GSP privileges will continue throughout the process, the US said.
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