Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers struggle with job loss

Thousands of Bangladeshi garment workers who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic are struggling to find work and risk being left destitute without urgent support, activists and experts said.

At least 70,000 people were estimated to have been laid off after $ 3.5 billion clothing orders were canceled or suspended and exports plummeted 84 percent in April, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association said. BGMEA).

Most of the country’s 4,000 garment factories, employing some four million people, mostly women, reopened in April after a month-long break to halt the spread of COVID-19. Bangladesh has seen at least 364,900 confirmed cases and 5,250 deaths to date.

While factory bosses say the sector has seen a recent rebound, with 90 percent of canceled orders restored, and is hiring again, activists said demand for jobs outstripped supply and pointed to a lack of alternatives. and assistance for laid off garment workers.

“For every 10 workers who lost their jobs, only one is being hired,” Kalpona Akter, founder of the Bangladesh Center for Workers’ Solidarity, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation by phone.

“This is putting the lives of thousands of workers and their families at risk because they have not earned for the last three or four months,” Akter said.

Without social security to help them, many of the workers have had to leave Dhaka to return to their villages and are now dependent on food donations from local charities, he said.

The Sajida Foundation, which partnered with British clothing app Mallzee to raise money by selling unwanted stocks, said it had distributed about $ 250,000 to 10,500 garment workers.

Advocates welcomed the initiative but say charity alone will not be enough and have urged the government to work with factory owners and brands to introduce wellness benefits to the sector.

A European Union-funded plan to provide cash to laid off garment workers is under discussion, according to a Labor Ministry official who was not authorized to speak to the media.

‘I don’t know what the future holds’

The Thomson Reuters Foundation spoke with 20 people who lost their jobs in the garment industry between April and August. Three had been rehired, but most were unemployed and struggling to survive.

“I haven’t paid the rent in two months and I’m struggling to feed my children,” said Jesmin, a 26-year-old former seamstress who lost her job in April. She requested to remain anonymous.

“I tried to stay out of the factories at the beginning of each month because that is when they are most likely to hire new workers. But it has been difficult because many of us are looking for work. I hope October is better, “he added.

Although the industry has rebounded of late, with exports reaching $ 2.9 billion in August after falling to $ 520 million in April, factory owners said expected orders were down by two-thirds and brands were demanding cuts of prices of 10 to 15 percent.

“The change has not been significant,” said Mohammad Hatem, vice president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, which represents some 800 factories.

“We thought we would receive a good number of orders before Christmas, but that has not happened.”

Nazma Akter, director of the Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, a union representing nearly 100,000 garment workers, said she had come across cases where laid off workers had been rehired by their old factories, but in worse conditions.

“It has been difficult for workers because it has been difficult to get new orders,” he said. “Even workers who have jobs are now worried about losing them due to the second wave of the pandemic in Europe.”

Koli, a 26-year-old junior helper or worker, lost her job in April and said she now depended on her family to survive.

“I am not a qualified operator, there is not much demand for helpers,” said Koli, who asked to remain anonymous. “I tried very hard, but couldn’t find a job. I don’t know what the future holds. “