The Bangladeshi government has warned of action against garment factories that have defaulted on wages during the coronavirus lockdown.
Shibnath Roy, a Bangladeshi labor ministry official, told Reuters that businesses with unpaid wages to their employees would not be able to move on from the $588 million bailout package announced last month for the industry. Get a grant.
It is understood that at least 350 garment factories have not paid March wages, and the 150,000 affected employees have taken to the streets to protest many times.
Roy told Reuters: We have taken steps to put pressure on garment factory owners and if they still do not pay, we will prosecute them in labor courts.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturing and Exporters Association (BGMEA) issued a statement on April 9, urging garment factories to ensure that March wages are paid to employees before April 16.
It is worth noting that the relief package announced by the government is expected to assist garment factories in paying wages next month, but garment factories will need to pay March arrears on their own.
BGMEA stated at the time that approximately 278 member manufacturers had paid wages to workers in the Dhaka area.
In a Facebook update on April 21, the association stated that 96.84% of workers received their wages in March.
Like many other garment exporting countries, Bangladesh has seen order cancellations and delays as brands and retailers closed global stores due to the lockdown.
BGMEA’s latest estimates show that global brands and retailers have canceled or suspended export orders worth approximately US$3.17 billion, affecting a total of 1,145 garment factories and 2.27 million workers. .
