Bangladesh Garment Industry Workers Federation has called for stopping the termination of apparel workers, protesting the statement issued by the president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA). On Thursday, BGMEA President Rubana Huq said a good number of garment workers might lose their jobs owing to the Covid-19 fallout. Md Touhidur Rahman, president of the Bangladesh Garment Industry Workers Federation, also former secretary general of IndustriALL Bangladesh Council, strongly protested the statement, according to a press release issued on Friday. In his statement, Touhidur Rahman said, “The garment industry and the workers are now passing a crucial time because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Foreign buyers are refraining from placing new work orders while some of them have cancelled the orders. So, the workers may face the risks of losing their jobs in the absence of works.” But the statement about garment workers’ further job losses from the president of a responsible employer organisation like the BGMEA may inspire many garment factory owners to terminate their employees, says the press release. “It is important to behave humanely as it is about life and livelihoods of the garment workers. But the statement from the BGMEA president has put the workers’ livelihoods in uncertainty,” said Touhidur Rahman. He continued, “A large number of garment workers have been terminated and they are deprived of the benefits mentioned in the labour law.” So, he demanded that the termination of more garment workers be stopped, and called for the withdrawal of the statement of the BGMEA president.
