The US deputy counsellor pointed out that Pakistan was not the only country hurt by certification of labour standards. PHOTO: FILE
Pakistan has taken up with the US the ban on textile imports imposed by Walt Disney Company and hopes that the company will provide some relief as the country is working diligently on addressing worker safety issues.
The move by Walt Disney, a US entertainment giant which has dropped Pakistan from the list of “Permitted Sourcing Countries”, came up for discussion during a meeting between US Deputy Counsellor for Economic Affairs Susan McFee and Federal Minister of Textile Industry Abbas Khan Afridi.
They talked in detail about implementation of international labour standards in Pakistan.
Walt Disney claims to be the world’s largest provider of licences since consumer products of Disney brand are being produced by thousands of independent vendors in manufacturing facilities around the world.
The US deputy counsellor, while pointing out that Pakistan was not the only country hurt by certification of labour standards, said it should immediately come up with a comprehensive strategy in an attempt to meet requirements of the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
She assured the textile minister that Washington would support the measures taken by the government of Pakistan to comply with ILO standards.
She said Pakistani textiles were preferred by American companies and expressed the hope that all would be well at the end of the day.
Afridi said the textile ministry was already engaged in consultation with the commerce and finance ministries on the labour policy. Soon the federal government would finalise a comprehensive policy in association with the governments in provinces, he said.
Afridi pointed out that in the upcoming textile policy special emphasis would be laid on enforcement of labour standards in the textile industry.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 16th, 2014.
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how shamelessly we go about begging around the world, to fix problems created by our callousness, its so shameful to be here..
Uncle Sam........We are the frontline partner in the Fight against Terror and still... ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Walt Disney expects us to protect Pakistani labor....how unfair!
"Afridi pointed out that in the upcoming textile policy special emphasis would be laid on enforcement of labour standards in the textile industry." +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ So is that a confession that till now there has been no emphasis on labour standards in Pakistan?
Instead of begging for favour, why not fix and address the genuine observations cum complaint of the customer
US govt can't/won't interfere with Disney selection of vendors .. especially on an issue where workers safety is involved - it's a fundamental right of Disney to protect it's image. Your best bet is to fix the problem - lobbying the USA govt isn't going to resolve the issue.