Centre for Policy Dialogue said garment factories should be reopened gradually after ensuring health and safety of workers because a long-term shutdown will hurt the economy. Country may lose its competitiveness in the international markets due to a lengthy production suspension as countries such as China and Vietnam have resumed their manufacturing lines, the CPD observed. Most of the garment factories have kept their operations shut after the government enforced a countrywide lockdown from March 26 to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection. The lockdown has been extended to May 5. Time has not come yet to say whether Bangladeshi garment sector would be benefitted in the post-coronavirus era and amid a bickering relationship between the US and China. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) is preparing a standard operating procedure so that the factories can resume production soon. But workers might still catch the highly contagious virus on their way to work or at their residences even if the environment inside the factories improves.
Despite getting Tk 5000 crore incentive package from the government, many garment owners have failed to give arrear salaries to the workers. Every day, even in the capital city Dhaka, workers of different garment factories are coming out to the streets demanding salaries. They also want to join their factories as they have no money in hand to buy food and give house rent. Now the BGMEA leaders are saying they have a plan to set up three coronavirus testing units and 130 private clinics in Gazipur for the workers once the units are reopened. But previously they had made the blunder bringing thousands of garment workers to Dhaka from different districts without taking possibility of virus infection under active consideration. Meanwhile, many owners still have kept their garment factories open in the name of producing personal protective equipment (PPE) and are allegedly producing other exportable goods despite the growing cases of coronavirus infections among the workers. It’s proved that their health and their lives are still worthless than a low-paid job.
We must say the BGMEA has miserably failed to take appropriate decision to keep safe the garment workers at this critical moment. Its leaders will have to take the responsibility of the total disaster.
