About 70 per cent of readymade garment workers who have been retrenched from jobs amid the Covid outbreak have still remained unemployed, according to a survey conducted by Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh.
Apparel factory owners, however, opposed the findings saying that the sample size for the survey was very poor and failed to reflect the real scenario.
The platform on Tuesday presented the findings at a webinar on ‘Bangladesh’s RMG Sector and Workers: Anticipating the Future’ that said that 71 per cent of unemployed RMG workers were actively looking for jobs.
The Citizen’s Platform conducted the survey on 401 current RMG workers and 99 retrenched workers.
According to a joint survey conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue and Mapped in Bangladesh published in January this year, a total of 3.50 lakh garment workers lost their jobs during the outbreak.
The survey of Citizen’s Platform titled ‘Dealing with the aftermath of COVID-19: Adjustments and Adaptation Efforts of the Apparel Workers in Bangladesh’ found that during the first wave, two-thirds of the workers did not receive salaries on time and woven factories struggled more in paying dues to the workers.
It found that more than half of the RMG workers experienced reduction in overtime during the first wave compared with the pre-Covid period — this was relatively lower during the second wave and the reduction was higher in factories outside the export processing zones compared with those within the EPZs.
According to the survey, 7.2 per cent of the interviewed workers reported that there was increase in harassment in workplace during Covid outbreak.
When asked whether the respondents faced any violence or harassment in workplace, 3.9 per cent women reported violence and 10 per cent women reported harassment while 6.5 per cent women reported both, the report said.
CPD research fellow Towfiqul Islam Khan presented the survey report.
The report showed that about 43.2 per cent of the workers reported that they required support during the Covid outbreak and 35.1 per cent of them received assistance from friends, neighbours and family.
Citizen’s Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh convenor Debapriya Bhattacharya said that it was not just for the RMG workers to not get any assistance from the central fund amid the outbreak.
Enhancing competitiveness and ensuring rights of the workers are important for the future of the RMG sector in Bangladesh.
Debapriya put emphasis on provident funds for the workers and ensuring their rights to organise.
CPD chairman Rehman Sobhan said that the Covid outbreak had created uncertainties for the readymade garment workers.
He urged the trade unions to unite and fight for their rights.
CPD distinguished fellow Mustafizur Rahman said that in the post LDC-graduation era, Bangladesh would lose preferential market access that would have a negative impact on the workers.
In order to face the challenges of the LDC graduation, Bangladesh’s RMG sector would have to increase its productivity, he said.
Mustafiz urged the government to put emphasis on free trade agreements, regional trading arrangements and comprehensive economic partnerships to avail duty free market access after the graduation.
Former Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Rubana Huq said that education was the only way to face the future challenges in the RMG sector.
She urged for the development of the backward linkage industry for man-made fibre saying that the consumption of cotton-based garments were declining on the global market.
Opposing the survey report of the Citizen’s Platform, Rubana said that the poor sample size did not reflect the real picture.
She said that there was no scope for the RMG factories to reduce wages and overtime allowances for the workers.
Malek Spinning Mills Ltd managing director Abdul Matin Chowdhury said that there was a huge opportunity for Bangladesh to enhance its RMG export in coming years.
He said that of the total global RMG export, Asia contributed 60 per cent and Europe contributed 32 per cent but Europe was not going to keep this stake in global export.
Turkey and China are the most eligible candidates to take over Europe’s share followed by Bangladesh, Matin said.
