Bangladesh asks EU to reconsider measures over factory deaths
Bangladesh has urged the European Union not to take tough measures against its textile industry in response to the collapse of a garment factory that killed at least 700 people.
It had threatened punitive measures to press Bangladesh’s government to improve worker safety standards after the collapse of the illegally built factory on April 24.
"If the EU or any other buyers impose any harsh trade conditions on Bangladesh it will hurt the country's economy ... millions of workers will lose their jobs," said Mahbub Ahmed, the top civil servant in Bangladesh's Commerce Ministry.
The disaster is the country’s worst industrial accident and has put the spotlight on Western retailers who use the South Asian nation as a source of cheap goods. Bodies are still being pulled from the ruins.
