U.S. to Revoke Bangladesh Trade Benefits

The U.S. will suspend trade benefits on $34.7 million in goods from Bangladesh because of inadequate labor and safety standards in the Asian nation where a garment-factory collapse killed more than 1,000 workers in April.

“This was not a decision taken lightly by the administration,” U.S. Trade Representative Michael Froman said yesterday on a call with reporters. While the U.S. had been reviewing Bangladesh’s trade status prior to the factory collapse, the April 24 incident highlighted U.S. concerns about labor and safety conditions in the country, he said.