DHAKA, Oct 21 (NNN-BSS) – The recent labour unrest that erupted in several major readymade garment industrial hubs, on the outskirts of Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, caused damage worth nearly half a billion U.S. dollars.
“We’ve suffered a production loss of around 400 million dollars, due to the unrest in Sept and this month,” Khandoker Rafiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said, during a press conference in Dhaka, Saturday.
He stressed the importance of maintaining law and order in the industrial hubs.
However, work orders from major international clothing retailers and brands have returned to normalcy, after volatility of the weeks, due to the labour unrest, he said.
Hundreds of ready-made garment factories in Bangladesh’s Ashulia and Gazipur industrial hubs were shut, due to the labour unrest, which had then persisted for weeks.
Tens of thousands of workers have reportedly waged protests over various demands, including bonus for their attendance, tiffin allowance, stopping workers’ termination and other benefits.
Bangladesh has emerged as a significant player in the global garment industry, securing its position as the second-largest garment exporter worldwide, after China.
The country has some 3,500 garment factories, which account for about 85 percent of its 50 billion dollars in annual exports, supplying many of the world’s top brands.
According to the BGMEA, 80 percent of some four million workers employed in the ready-made garment factories are women.– NNN-BSS
