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The readymade garment factory owners have agreed not to axe workers until the next Eid-ul-Fitr as the sector struggles amid the coronavirus outbreak.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment made the disclosure on Sunday in a press release, saying the decision was taken at a recent meeting in presence of State Minister Begum Monnujan Sufian, reports UNB.
Factory owners also agreed to pay 65 per cent gross salaries to workers who didn’t work in April. Besides, those who worked during the holidays will be provided full salaries, the ministry added.
The government had previously announced a Tk 50.00 billion stimulus package for the export-oriented industries to pay wages and allowances of their workers.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) has said buyers have either cancelled or suspended orders amounting to $3.18 billion, affecting an estimated 2.28 million workers.
Many factory owners are yet to pay their workers, prompting workers to come out on the streets.
The RMG sector, the second largest after China, contributes to more than 80 percent of the export earnings. It employs more than four million people, mostly women.
Workers in the labour-intensive sector are at high risk of coronavirus infection since they work in close proximity to each other, health experts say. A number of RMG workers have already been diagnosed with COVID-19.