Thousands of garment workers have lost their jobs as factory owners are tightening their belts, despite closure of the units amid the coronavirus-induced lockdown, industry people said.
Factory authorities have been cutting their manpower despite the request from the government and the industry lobbyist groups to retain workers.
The groups include the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BGMEA, the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, or BKMEA and the Bangladesh Employers Federation, or BEF.
Labour leaders, however, alleged that workers who have job experience of less than a year are being fired.
The majority of the factory owners are laying off their units following the labour law provisions of 12 and 16, they said adding workers less than one year job age would not get any compensation meaning no April wages and Eid festival allowance.
Expressing concern over the termination, trade union leaders expressed the fear of labour unrest that might deteriorate the current health situation of the country amid the outbreak of the pandemic.
According to Industrial Police, some 406 RMG workers, who worked at garment factories located at Gazipur lost their jobs on last Friday.
On April 07, additional 170 workers from the same industrial zone were terminated, according to police data.
Babul Akhter, secretary of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said they made a list of some 20 factories located at Gazipur, Ashulia, Savar and in Chattogram, which retrenched 3,100 workers.
Factories have been laying off workers, despite the public holiday amid the coronavirus pandemic, citing labour law provisions of 12 and 16, he said, explaining that majority of the terminated workers have worked for less than a year.
Between 10 and 15 per cent of the total workforce in the clothing industry belongs to that category, he said adding the workers would be the worst sufferers as they would not get April wages and Eid festival allowances.
He feared of laobur unrest due to the mass termination of workers, saying they might take to the street as they would have no money and no food, posing risk of further spread of virus.
Echoing him, Nazma Akhter, president of Sommilito Garments Sramik Federation, alleged that a good number of garment factories, especially owned by former and present leaders of the BGMEA announced lay-off their units in line with the provisions of 12 and 16 of the labour law.
Many units have taken away workers' identity cards, took signature on blank papers and workers of these units have yet to get the wages for March, she said, adding workers are now in uncertainty over their wage payment and job security.
She said workers who work on a contractual basis are also in trouble.
She, however, said some factories, which remained closed in line with the public holidays and did not lay off workers, assured the factory unions that they would pay monthly wages and other allowances.
Amirul Haque Amin, president of the National Garments Workers Federation, alleged that factories were laid off as a strategy for depriving workers of regular wages, even though the owners received stimulus cash to pay wages to workers and employees for three months.
They demanded owners halt job cut or termination of workers and make wages and other allowances immediately to avert any untoward situation.
Officials of Industrial Police and the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments, or DIFE, said they are also intervening and ratcheting up pressure on factory owners to stop terminating workers at this crisis moment.
BGMEA president Dr Rubana Huq defended the termination of workers with less than a year's experience since the law allows it.
Still, she said the association requested every member factory not to do so.
She noted that the BGMEA sent a clear message to the members in this connection on Sunday last.
Meanwhile, some 397 industrial units out of 7,602 were closed on Saturday. Out of the 397 units, some 26 were BGMEA members, one BKMEA and seven were affiliated with the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, according to IP data.
On Saturday, 247 BGMEA-listed factories, 123 BKMEA and 54 BTMA member units paid monthly wages and other allowances.
About 265 out of 364 factories under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority and some 853 units belong to other sectors paid wages, according to police.
The three trade groups extended the factory closure until April 25 in line with public holidays.
They also requested their member units to pay March wages by April 16.
