It’s December 2020, nine months after the height of the pandemic.
In his garment factory amid the bustling factory belt of Dhaka, Bangladesh, Zakirul Alam, shows row after row of his production lines that sit idle, shrouded in darkness.
“I can t even turn on the lights nowadays because I can’t bear the electricity,” he says.
Once a factory full of hundreds of garment workers, Zakirul tells Dateline he’s now in significant debt and has been forced to let many of them go.
In their place, sits piles of boxes full of clothes, much of it for Australian retailer Mosaic Brands.
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With the government announcing restrictions on businesses and people's movements to curb the spike in coronavirus cases and deaths, speakers at a discussion yesterday urged for a balance between saving lives and protecting livelihoods. In a virtual discussion organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue, speakers also said curbing the spread of thevirus would be easier if
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RMG exporters want factories up and running
Union leaders favour closure with full payment as lockdown looms
If lockdown is imposed, garment suppliers will face work order cancellation, deferred payment, and expensive air shipment, an exporter said. Photo: Star/file
Garment factory owners and union leaders are at loggerheads over the imminent tough lockdown the government is set to impose across the country to curb the rising cases of coronavirus infections.
Owners want to keep their factories up and running, while union leaders called for a closure of factories and a full payment of the wages for workers during the lockdown period.