Home ›› 24 May 2020 ›› World Biz
Garment workers who left for their village homes during the Eid holidays will not be allowed to join work after the holidays are over, several business leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association or (BKMEA) said.
Arshad Jamal Dipu, vice-president of BGMEA said a database of workers was being prepared and those residing close to the factory will be allowed to join work after Eid holidays.
He added that the country's garment industry is most at risk from this corona epidemic. With help from the government, the owners are trying their best to sustain in the business. In this situation, if the workers leave the workplaces and go home during the Eid holidays, there is a risk of greater corona infection, he added.
In this regard, Mohammad Hatem, First Vice President of BKMEA said: "All workers have been instructed not to leave their factory locality. Workers have been told not to go home during Eid holidays. Therefore, those who do not follow this will lose their jobs."
He added that workers who have already left home or are leaving will no longer get jobs in the sector. Most of the factories operating after Eid will lay off 5 to 10 pc workers, or some will lay off 20 to 40 pc. And the workers of the factories that have closed down have already lost their jobs.
In this context, Lovely Yasmin, President of Bangladesh Readymade Garments Workers Federation, said that about 30 percent of the workers have not yet received salary-bonus. Workers are still on the streets. They are still agitating for salaries and bonuses. Garment owners are always looking for excuses to lay off workers.
Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of the Center for Policy Dialogue (CPD), said factories that are not receiving purchase orders may be forced to lay off workers. In this situation, the government and garment owners should take strong initiative to keep Bangladesh's market alive in the international arena.
