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Priority vaccination for workers in the readymade garment industry – the biggest export earner in Bangladesh – is yet to get momentum due to a shift in government policy favouring mass inoculation drives.
During mid-June this year, Health Minister Zahid Maleque had promised apparel makers to inoculate RMG workers against Covid-19 on a priority basis, as soon as Bangladesh secures the necessary number of doses.
But data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) shows that only 70,000 apparel workers received their vaccinations as of Saturday, a small portion of some 40 lakh people that work in this sector.
Majority of these RMG workers got jabbed during mass inoculation drives at their own initiative, and only a handful received the shots under a
pilot project aimed at this particular sector. It never became a full-fledged drive, industry insiders told The Business Post.
On the issue, BGMEA Vice President Shahidullah Azim said, “Some of our workers are getting the Covid jab under mass drives. But inoculation on a factory-by-factory basis has not begun as yet. We do not even know when this drive will begin.”
Pointing out that it is difficult for workers to leave factories and stand in a line for hours for their vaccine shots, BGMEA Director Md Khosru Chowdhury strongly recommended launching a factory-by-factory vaccination drive on a priority basis.
The government is currently focused on carrying out mass vaccination drives across the country, without a particular focus towards any demographic.
Prof Meerjady Sabrina Flora, additional Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) said, “We initially had plans to vaccinate RMG workers on a priority basis, but have since moved away from this decision.
“We are currently working to inoculate the whole country, and anyone over the age of 18 years can get registered for the Covid-19 jab. We also asked the civil surgeons to provide more vaccine doses in areas where the industry workers live.”
She added that every worker will get their vaccines gradually, so there is no need for concerns.
‘Need jabs for our workers’
In June this year, RMG owners had urged the government to vaccinate workers in their respective factories to ensure a hassle-free inoculation process, industry insiders said, adding that the government had initially agreed to this arrangement, but took no action so far.
Speaking to The Business Post, Director of International Apparel Federation Fazlee Shamim Ehsan said, “We are ready to support vaccination for our workers. We will set up a corner inside our factories, and bear all related expenses too if the government asks for it.
“But we need vaccine shots for our workers as soon as possible.”
He continued, “We are the top exporters in Bangladesh, and around 50 lakh people are directly involved in this sector. Due to the pandemic’s impacts, the buyers are leaving Vietnam and looking to Bangladesh as an alternative source.
“If we cannot ensure vaccination for our workers and get hit by yet another wave of Covid-19 infections, we will lose the buyers’ interest.”
Owners growing concerned
Bangladesh is currently playing a vital role in fulfilling the RMG demands of European and US buyers, as they are actively looking for alternative sourcing for these items due to supply chain disruptions in China, closure of factories in Vietnam and political unrest in Myanmar.
The Q3 2021 report of The Quality Inspection Management (QIMA) shows that Bangladesh’s order growth from US-based buyers had reached 88 per cent in August and 108 per cent in September compared to the corresponding month of 2019.
As the country’s RMG sector is currently witnessing a large number of orders surpassing even the pre-Covid period volume, business leaders are concerned that the government might shut down the industry yet again if a new variant of the deadly virus hits Bangladesh.
Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) said, “We have spoken to the government on multiple occasions seeking vaccine doses for garment workers, but the matter remains uncertain.
“We are worried. If a new variant of Covid-19 hits Bangladesh and we fail to inoculate our workers, we will have a serious crisis on our hands. We want to protect our workers, but the matter depends on the government, especially on the health ministry.”
Hatem urged the government to provide vaccine shots to RMG workers on a priority basis.
The Business Post tried to contact Health Minister Zahid Maleque for comments on the issue on phone a number of times, but he could not be reached till the filing of this report.
