None will lose job for delays in rejoining factories: BGMEA president

The garment workers will not lose jobs for delays in joining workplaces because of the restrictions on movement during lockdown, said Faruque Hassan, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

"We will open factories tomorrow with the workers who have already reached the production units or are staying at their residences near the factories," he told The Daily Star.

Nearly 50 per cent of the workers went to their village homes before the start of the vacation for Eid-ul-Azha, he said.

The rest 50 per cent did not need to go for long-distance travels to reach their village homes as they live in and around areas where their factories are situated, he said.

Around 40 per cent of the garment factories are located in Maona, Bhaluka, Kashimpur, Narsingdi, Narayanganj, Manikganj and Gazipur and their workers live in the same areas, Hassan said.

A good number of workers have already come back to their workplaces after the Eid as the production of some items like personal protective equipment and masks was allowed in the factories during the lockdown, he also said.

The rest of the workers will join when they can travel to their respective workplaces with the restart of public transports, he said.

Most of the workers from the country's northern districts, Tangail and Mymensingh will have to face difficulties to come back to the workplaces for a lack of public transports, he added.

He also instructed the members of the association to start production at their factories with the available workforce.