WHEN the entire country went under virtual lockdown, a total of 985 factories including readymade garments and textile units that fall under the jurisdiction of Industrial Police remained open until Sunday. The workers of the factories are at high risk of communicating COVID-19 as the World Health Organisation asked to maintain physical distance and frequent hand washing, the ways to contain the pandemic virus. The unnecessary breaching of government instruction may cause spread of Coronavirus among RMG workers, who have little access to regular healthcare. BGMEA said that most of the member factories of the trade body announced closure and a few of the units which were producing personal protection equipment and masks remained open. Labour rights organisation said that it was concerning that some of the factories were still open, putting the workers and the other staff at risk of Coronavirus infection as social distancing was a must to protect people from the epidemic.
It is high time the government must take steps before the situation worsens further. Policymakers should sit with industry stakeholders and devise policies that could effectively save the industrial workers. The government has already announced stimulus package for the RMG sector, so the RMG owners who breached the government regulation should shut their garments before outbreak of Coronavirus in the industry. As the foreign buyers have already cancelled their orders due to the influence of Coronavirus, there is practically no need to keep open the factories. Not only that, many other small factories and workshops in the old parts of Dhaka, Narayanganj, Rupganj, Gazipur and other areas are still not closed showing various reasons to the authorities concerned. What’s most dangerous is that most of the workers of these factories don’t follow the health rules. Many of them are working under severe mental pressure that they could be terminated any time by the owners.
We do urge the Ministry concerned to take long-term workers’ friendly plan so that they feel financially safe and protected even if the factories are closed for a certain period to tackle the Coronavirus disaster.
