RMG factories to start partial operation on Sunday

Many of the country's readymade garment (RMG) factories are going to reopen on a limited scale on Sunday upon the approval of the government.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) said their members can reopen factories on a limited scale with the workers who live near the factories.

The two organisations asked their member factories not to bring back the workers who had gone to different places before the ongoing shutdown.

BKMEA on Saturday asked its member factories to open only sample, knitting and dying sections on Sunday.

BGMEA, on the other hand, wants to reopen factories in phases. In the first phase, they ordered 198 factories of Dhaka to open on Sunday and Monday. The organisation asked factories to only open knitting, dying and sample sections up to 30 April. The factories were suggested to open the cutting section from 2 May and the sewing section from 3 May.

Earlier on Friday, BGMEA issued a general directive to its members advising them to ask only the workers who are living near the factories to join work. It also said no factories can bring their workers back to Dhaka until further notice.

BGMEA also asked the factories not to lay off any workers on humanitarian grounds.

“Factories of Dhaka will be reopened on Sunday. Factories of other areas will open in phases from 28 April to 3 May. We’ve asked the factories not to bring back any workers from outside Dhaka amid the lockdown,” BGMEA vice president Arshad Zamal told Prothom Alo.

He said the member factories must inform BGMEA and local administration before reopening.

“We’ve provided the member factories a guideline about reopening,” he added.

BKMEA vice president Mohammad Hatem told Prothom Alo that they asked factories to open only sections that require few workers.

“Sample, knitting and dying sections require very few workers so maintaining social distancing in those sectors is easy. Factories can reopen sewing and other sections after 1 May observing the situation,” Mohammad Hatem said.

He, however, said the factories which have emergency export work order can operate required sections maintaining proper hygiene.

The RMG factory owners drew flak after thousands of workers were brought to Dhaka amid the shutdown on 4 April. The factories were scheduled to open on 5 April.

Later, BGMEA and BKMEA announced shutdown of the factories up to 14 April.

They extended the shutdown to 25 April in line with the government's decision to extend the ongoing nationwide shutdown.