The scope for trade restrictions to address the lack of compliance with fire safety standards in garment factories of Bangladesh

Abstract

The frequent incidents of fire attributable to systemic lack of compliance with fire safety standards in garment factories of Bangladesh has been a recurring problem taking away lives of many workers over the years.The manufacturers possessing significant economic and political clout have almost invariably escaped the sanctions of the national legal system. This paper argues that a trade restrictions regime imposed by a major importing country of garment products of Bangladesh may force the manufacturers to improve compliance with the relevant laws and engender the necessary change to provide workers with a safe working environment. It argues that such a trade restriction regime should neither be country nor even industry-wide, rather be targeted to rouge manufacturers acting in violation of safety laws. However, analysing the policy grounds and relevant WTO jurisprudence, this paper finds that despite the desirability of such a scheme, it would unlikely to be WTO-compliant.