3.24 lakh RMG personnel lose jobs amid virus outbreak

Image: Bizbangladesh.net
A lot more than 3.24 lakh readymade garment employees have lost their jobs and 1,915 factories, mostly subcontracting ones, have already been shut since the coronavirus outbreak commenced in the united states in March this season, according to a Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies’ study report.

The analysis titled ‘COVID-19: Decent Work in Readymade Garment Sector’ found that 80 per cent of the employees had no savings while 27 % of the personnel had reduced their food expenses as monthly wages became irregular through the pandemic.

The BILS on Thursday revealed the study report at a press conference held at the National Press Club in the town.

It said that RMG personnel in the country have been struggling for his or her survival due to frequent retrenchment and factory lay-off amid the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the report, a lot more than 26,000 personnel were retrenched from 87 RMG factories during the pandemic.

Oftentimes, the workers’ retrenchment took place without following labour laws and rules, the report said.

Citing a previous study conducted in 2019, the BILS said that 56 per cent of the RMG employees procured essential commodities on credit and 72 % had no capability to get proper treatment as a result of low wages.

The coronavirus outbreak multiplied the crisis of the workers, it said.

Demanding government assistance for the workers, the analysis said although the country’s export sector got Tk 50,000 crore as stimulus to fight with COVID-19 fallout, the good thing about the package had not been transmitted to the workers.

It said that generally, the workers associated with trade unions were being retrenched and the applications for the trade union registration were being rejected without valid reasons.

BILS advisory committee member Naymul Ahsan Jewel read aloud the outcomes of the study at the press conference while BILS vice-presidents Anwar Hossain and Amirul Haque Amin, and IndustyriAll Bangladesh Council secretary general China Rahman, amongst others, spoke at the function.

Amirul said that factory owners, with the support of the government, were exercising the unilateral power of retrenchment of personnel and factory lay-off without following any law but personnel had no rights to be united to demand their lawful benefits.

He said that staff were facing three types of risk through the pandemic - threat of life, risk of termination and risk of not getting wages on time.

Amirul alleged that many factories were running their production without complying with the COVID-19 health guidelines.

China Rahman said women workers, especially pregnant ones, have been facing severe problems as factory authorities denied them joining work without giving their job benefits.   
Source: https://www.newagebd.net

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