The laid-off garment workers – whose numbers are quite significant as per some reports – at last have some hope after the Bangladesh Government has readied a plan to provide them financial assistance.
According to media reports, the Government has initiated a scheme for retrenched, insolvent and disabled workers of export-oriented apparel, footwear and leather units, as per which each such worker would get an amount of Taka 3,000/month for a period of 3 months.
The Government has rolled out this scheme which is backed by Germany and the European Union (EU), who have contributed €113 million to this end.
According to the labour department – which has prepared the implementation guideline of the scheme as part of the social safety net programme – disabled, terminated and insolvent workers of factories that are members of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the Bangladesh Finished Leather, Leathergoods and Footwear Exporters’ Association (BFLLFEA) and the Leathergoods and Footwear Manufacturers & Exporters Association of Bangladesh (LFMEAB), will be eligible to take advantage of this scheme.
Opining on the development, President of Sammilito Garment Sramik Federation, Nazma Akter said the workers would be benefitted while adding that the retrenched workers would be able to cope with the adverse impacts if they get this benefit for 6 months.
