Bangladesh Trade Was Under U.S. Review Prior to Factory Collapse

Months before a garment-factory collapse in Bangladesh killed more than 500 people, the U.S. government said it was considering revoking the nation’s preferable trade status over treatment of workers.

The U.S. Trade Representative’s office said in a Jan. 8 notice in the Federal Register that “the lack of progress by the government of Bangladesh in addressing worker rights issues in the country warrants consideration of possible withdrawal, suspension or limitation Bangladesh’s trade benefits.”