Special Correspondent :
Thousands of workers have lost their jobs due to the economic fallout following the country’s coronavirus shutdown, according to labour organizations and rights groups.
Most job losses were reported from the informal economies. Besides, sudden factory lay-off also forced many garment workers out of the work leaving a devastating impact on their livelihood.
Abdul Hakim, a garment worker at Kaliakair in Gazipur, said he went home after the government announced the countrywide shutdown. He was informed about the reopening of the factory and came to Gazipur aftar taking hazourdos journey. But when he went to the factory and saw that he had been made redundant along with many others.
“We have been forcibly cut from work. How we can we get a job now? We went to the owner seeking our reinsatement. We said, sir Eid is ahead and we have families. What shall we do? He said, Do whatever you can do.”
Kohinoor Mahmood, an official of Bangladesh Institute of Labour Studies (BILS), a private research firm working for workers’ rights, said thousands of jobs have already been lost due to the nationwide shutdown. More jobs could be lost if the duration of the shutdown lingers, she warned.
“Workers in the informal economy are at the most vulnerable end. They are now in danger of losing their livelihoods due to income loss by ongoing shutdown. Even many garment workers have also lost their jobs due to factoty lay-offs and job cuts,” said Kohinoor Mahmood.
Nearly 200 workers have lost their jobs after a garment factory located at Konabari area in Gazipur near Dhaka was laid-off two days back.
Salma Akhtar, one of the workers of the factory who lives with her husband and two children in a rented house near the factory, said the owner of the factory shut it temporarily at the beginning of the shutdown. But after getting the news that the factory will be reopened, I went there two days ago and saw the lay-off notice.
Salma Akhtar’s husband is a transport worker and has no job. She raised the question how she will turn around from the uncertainty created from the ongoing nationawide closures enforced to contain the spread of coronavirus.
“Factory owners have reportedly been declaring factory layoffs. The job loss situation would be worst if this practice could not be stopped immeditely,” said labour leader Dr Wajedul Islam.
Expressing concern over suddent lay-off, he said, “Owners could not declare factory layoffs or fire workers during this emergecy situation. The government should take necessary stepts to uphold rights of workers and ensure their welfare.”
“The informal economy accounts for 50 million jobs out of the total 60 million workforces in the country. So, the shutdown causes real devastation to this huge number of workforces. They have no income, no food, no savings or access to credit. If they do not get help from the authorities, they will simply perish,” economist Dr Ahsan Monsur told The New Nation.
“Job losses are expected to be mostly temporary. A buoyancy in economic activities followed by the ease of restriction may absorb jobs again,” said an economist, adding, “A continued lockdown is economically unsustainable, raising pressure on the government to ease restrictions.”
