Home ›› 23 May 2020 ›› World Biz
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association (BKMEA) have threatened to blacklist the Edinburgh Woolen Mills (EWM) group in the UK for not paying its outstanding bills.
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, EWM has recently cancelled the work order of 11 lakh 95 thousand pieces of garment products worth more than $8.2 million from several factories in the country.
BGMEA President Rubana Haque sent a letter to EWM chief executive Philip Edward Day on Thursday (May 21) on behalf of the two Bangladeshi garment owners' organizations.
In the letter, Rubana requested EWM to comply with the requirements and settle all outstanding dues as prescribed adding that until the issues are not resolved by May 29, BGMEA and BKMEA will no longer issue Utilization Declaration (UD) for any new purchase order of EWM.
Rubana Haque wrote in an e-mail requesting EWM to pay the arrears and comply with the instructions, saying that if the instructions were not followed, there would be no alternative but to blacklist EWM and its affiliates.
Rubana Haque further said the copies of the letter will be sent to Bangladesh High Commission in London, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA), Ministry of Commerce, Bangladesh Bank, Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA), British High Commission in Dhaka and all buyers and brands.
The BGMEA president said, “We do not want to go into conflict with our buyers but our business is under threat and that's why buyers need to be ranked.”
According to BGMEA, the purchase orders of garment products worth $318 crore from 1,150 factories have been cancelled or suspended which affects 2.2 million factory workers in the country.
