WASHINGTON — A prominent Democratic senator Thursday pushed for suspending duty-free privileges to Bangladesh.
American retailers that source products from factories in Bangladesh also came under pressure at a Senate hearing to adopt common safety standards to prevent a repeat of the April 24 collapse of Rana Plaza in Dhaka that killed 1,127 people.
‘‘No one will want to wear a piece of clothing made in Bangladesh if it’s on the blood of workers,’’ said New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
President Obama will decide by the end of June whether to curtail Bangladesh’s trade privileges. Under the current rules, Bangladesh can export nearly 5,000 products duty-free to the United States, its leading market.