Despite Parliament's adoption of amended law more than one and a half years ago, the Bangladesh government has still not set rules for implementing the amended labour law, a key requirement for regaining the country’s GSP in the US. Labour and employment secretary Mikail Shipar has said that the government was supposed to formulate the rules a lot earlier. But, is still taking stakeholders’ opinions to incorporate them in the rules. Considering opinions from many sectors that are under the purview of labour law has delayed the formulation of the rules, even though the draft of the rules has already been written, he added.

The government amended labour laws allowing full freedom of association by workers at the factory level after the industrial disasters of Tazreen Fashions fire and Rana Plaza building collapse. The government has also allowed formulation of more than 236 trade unions in garment factories over the last one and a half years under the amended labour law.

Citing serious shortcomings in workplace safety and labour rights, the US government gave a set of 16 conditions for regaining the GSP which was suspended for Bangladesh on June 27 in 2013. Amendment to the labour law and formulation of the rules were major among the 16 conditions which are collectively called the Action Plan for GSP retention. Bangladesh has already submitted progress reports on the Action Plan twice, to regain GSP. But, the GSP scheme is currently suspended by the United States Trade Representative, the chief trade negotiation body of the US government, for all beneficiary countries since July 31 of 2013. The government hopes the country will regain the GSP as almost all the conditions have been fulfilled, with both government and private sector initiatives.