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Even after the ban on BGMEA and BKMEA, two associations of homeowners in the garment industry, workers everywhere are returning to work at risk. They have to suffer to return to work since public transport is closed.
BGMEA and BKMEA announced the closure of the factory beginning April 5 to prevent infection of the crown. It was extended until April 25 in coordination with the public holiday. After that, the two organizations decided to open the factory step by step on a limited scale since yesterday.
Meanwhile, workers at various clothing factories in the capital’s Malibagh staged a protest on the day of the factory’s limited opening, demanding wage arrears in March. In addition, Gazipur, Tongi, Ashulia and Narayanganj workers have also protested wage arrears and layoffs.
BKMEA had ordered to start only sample, knitting and dyeing sections. And BGMEA had ordered to start 213 factories in the Dhaka metropolis since yesterday. However, yesterday factories were opened in other areas besides the metropolis of Dhaka.
According to the industrial police, since yesterday 460 BGMEA member factories have been established in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Chittagong, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Khulna. BKMEA has opened 121 textile factories and BTMA has 57 textile factories in these areas. There are 6,602 garments and other industries in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Chittagong, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Khulna. Of these, 1,426 were released yesterday.
When asked, BGMEA Vice President Faisal Samad told Prothom Alo: “Around 1,000 factories have registered to start production. We have ordered them to introduce themselves step by step. If someone outside opens, it has been done with the permission of the local administration. Arshad Jamal, another vice president of the organization, said that all members had been told not to bring workers from afar and not to fire anyone.
BKMEA Vice President Mohammad Hatem said that 20 percent of BKMEA factories have been operating on a limited scale since yesterday. At first glance, he said: ‘We were instructed not to hire workers from far away. Even then, it is unclear why the workers are returning.
According to our Savar correspondent, more than 200 garment and textile factories have been established in Savar and Ashulia. The factories have taken measures to guarantee the social distance of the workers.
Some 12,000 workers work in five factories of the Sharmin Group in Ashulia. To guarantee social distance, two shifts have been introduced in all the factories of the group. Ismail Hossain, the group’s managing director, said workers were able to work as close as 6 feet when two shifts were introduced.
Some factories in Savar were visited and it was observed that, although social distance was ensured within the factory, workers did not respect it when entering and leaving.
Our Narayanganj representative reported that 71 Narayanganj garment factories were started yesterday. Worker attendance there was 25 percent. An Adamji EPZ official, Epic Garments, who did not want to be identified, said the workers were sprayed with disinfectant liquid on their shoes and hands at the factory entrance.
Our Gazipur representative reported that 438 factories were started yesterday, including apparel and textiles. In some factories, the temperature is verified with a thermal scanner and workers are placed inside. In addition, the factory authorities have made it mandatory for all workers to wash their hands and wear face masks.
Our own Chittagong correspondent said about 200 factories were opened yesterday. Most workers suffer because they cannot get vehicles to go to the factory. Unable to get vehicles, more than two hundred workers protested on the road in the Baluchhara Natunpara area of the city yesterday morning. Yesterday 70 factories opened in Chittagong EPZ and 20 factories in KPZ. Thermal scanners are installed in several CEPZ factories. With that device, body temperature is measured and workers enter the factory. Similarly, thermal scanners are also installed at the doors of KPZ factories.
Khurshid Alam, general manager of the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), told Prothom Alo that some factories with 25 percent workers have been established to ensure social distance and meet health standards. Because these factories had some orders from foreign buyers. Buyers were pushing for faster delivery.
A third of BGMEA member factories in Chittagong were open yesterday, said MA Salam, the organization’s first vice president.
Our Munshiganj representative reported that yesterday there were a crowd of people from different professions, including garment workers heading to Dhaka, in Shimulia Ghat, district. However, they have to suffer due to the closure of public transport. Ghat (Commerce) manager Shafayat Ahmed said that only one of the four ghats in Shimulia is operational. Although the passengers were not allowed to board the ferry, they ignored it and ran to their destination.
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