No RMG Worker to Be Sacked until Eid-ul-Fitr: State Minister

The readymade garment factory owners have decided not to axe workers until the next Eid-ul-Fitr as the industry suffers amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The Labour and Employment Ministry made the disclosure on Sunday in a press release, claiming the decision was taken at a meeting on May 4 in presence of State Minister Begum Monnujan Sufian.

Factory owners also agreed to pay 65 per cent of gross salaries to workers who did not work in April. In fact, all who served over the holidays will earn full wages, the Ministry said.

Previously, the government announced a Tk 5,000 crore stimulus package for export-oriented industries to pay wages and allowances to their workers.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) says buyers have either cancelled or suspended orders amounting to $3.18 billion, affecting an estimated 2.28 million workers.

Many factory owners are yet to pay their workers, prompting workers to come out on the streets. 

The RMG sector, the second largest after China, contributes to more than 80 percent of the export earnings. It employs more than four million people, mostly women.

Workers in the labour-intensive sector are at high risk of coronavirus infection since they work in close proximity to each other, health experts say. A number of RMG workers have already been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Source: UNB