Fashion outlets have reopened across England and Northern Ireland. However, those who make those clothes with cheap labor are losing their jobs at the mass rate. The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers Export Association (BGMEA) says garment owners’ forces to lay off workers as orders worth billions of dollars is canceled. This role of Western consumer organizations sharply criticized by international organizations working to protect workers’ rights.
During the Corona epidemic in March, several countries went into lockdown. The shops became closed. Fashion brands canceled millions of dollars worth of clothing orders from their suppliers worldwide. The cancellation list also includes garments already packaged and waiting for shipping.
The Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers Export Association (BGMEA) says several fashion brands already withdrew nearly 3 billion worth of orders from suppliers.
BGMEA president Rubana Haque said more than 25,000 workers lost their jobs last month. He fears that the number of unemployed workers could reach five lakh in the next six months if foreign didn’t receive orders.
In Bangladesh, although the factories are now reopening, the order volume is about 80 percent less than before. According to an online tracker launched by the Workers’ Rights Consortium, British retail brands, including Arcadia, Primark, Edinburgh Woolen Mills, promised not to pay foreign suppliers in full for all their orders.
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