Apparel factories to use amid strict lockdown

A group representing the sector negotiated and pleaded the case towards keeping factories available to all key insurance policy and decision-makers of the federal government, the Bangladesh Garment Producers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President-Elect Faruque Hasan said in a declaration on Sunday.

The government has made a decision to permit apparel factories to stay operational during the strict lockdown that will be enforced from Wednesday.

A workforce representing the sector negotiated and pleaded the circumstance towards keeping factories available to all key plan and decision-manufacturers of the federal government, the Bangladesh Garment Companies and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President-Elect Faruque Hasan said in a assertion on Sunday.

In order to avoid the impending crisis facing RMG and export-oriented factories because of closures through the lockdown, the team held a special ending up in Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi on the subject of Friday, he added.

Previous BGMEA presidents Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin and Abdus Salam Murshedy, Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Salim Osman, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) President Mohammad Ali Khokon, and Faruque Hasan attended the conference.

“I urge all the respected associates of BGMEA to follow all the health insurance and safety protocols very strictly without inability,” Hassan explained in the statement.

Hassan also said that factory owners could face troubles paying salaries and event allowances to the workers if they cannot function and ship the goods on time.

Early in the day, apparel exporters also demanded the government to keep the factories open during the upcoming lockdown in a press conference found in Pan Pacific Sonargaon, Dhaka.

The apparel sector has reported continuous price drops of 4.5% to 5% since September last year, regarding to a press release issued following the conference.

The sector also reported export order losses worth $6 billion in the 2019-20 fiscal year.

Mohammad Abdus Salam, acting president of BGMEA, stated the neighborhood garment suppliers have been struggling to recoup losses that they incurred through the primary phase of Covid-19.

“In the fiscal year 2018-19, Bangladesh exported garment items worth $34.12 billion, however the amount fell to $27.94 billion in the fiscal year 2019-20,” Salam said.

“Moreover, work orders value $3.18 billion were either cancelled or held up by the international retailers and brands because of the fallout of the pandemic,” he added.

AM Chowdhury Selim, vice president of BGMEA, said: “We will take the same sort of security actions which we did during the lockdown last year. Workers' safety can be our highest concern.”

The number of coronavirus infections in the RMG sector is significantly less than 1%, he said, adding that has been possible only by ensuring effective safety precautions.

“Often Eid bonuses and salaries also become a concern. We are choosing initiatives to keep carefully the factory open to ensure that the workers' earnings and Eid bonuses can be paid promptly,” he added.

Amirul Haque Amin, president of National Garments Personnel Federation, said if RMG factories are kept open, the owners need to take initiatives to guarantee the safety of the personnel.

They also have to arrange transportation for the workers, he added.

Regarding Eid bonuses, he explained: "It does not matter if the factories are closed or not - workers' Eid bonuses have to be paid promptly."

On Friday, the federal government decided to enforce a week-lengthy strict lockdown beginning Wednesday following a prior lockdown with very few restrictions.

As the prior lockdown didn't prevent a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths, the federal government has chosen a stricter lockdown this time around.

Except for emergency service providers, all federal government, semi-government and private organizations, shops, and market segments are supposed to remain shut in this week-long lockdown.