Bangladesh textile workers flout coronavirus lockdown to demand wages

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Hundreds of textile staff in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka took to the streets on Sunday demanding wages, flouting social distancing norms amid a nationwide lockdown to regulate the coronavirus pandemic.

The second-largest apparel producer after China, Bangladesh is defined to lose export earnings around $6 billion this fiscal year as the sector has been hit by cancellations from some of the world’s major brands and retailers, two industry bodies have said.

“We haven’t got wages since last 8 weeks. We've no food, no money. We are left to starve,” said Mohammad Ujjal, an employee at a garment factory in capital city, Dhaka, who participated in the protest.

Garment workers have held smaller protests in recent weeks to demand wages lost through the crisis.

Last month Bangladesh’s government announced $588 million package aid for crucial exports-oriented sector to pay its workers, but garment manufacturers say funds were not enough to mitigate the crisis.

Health officials confirmed five more deaths and reported 418 new cases on Sunday, taking the official final number of positive cases to 5,416, including 145 deaths.

A nationwide lockdown is set up until May 5, but protesters said they'll continue steadily to violate the ban on movement if their demands aren't met.

In recent weeks, Bangladesh has sent troops out in to the streets to greatly help enforce a shutdown on travel and restrictions on religious gatherings and protests.
Source: https://nationalpost.com

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