According to the Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the instability in the garment sector has resulted in an estimated financial loss of $300-400 million.

Those concerned say that the assessment of the amount of damage to the garment sector due to the instability is still ongoing.

However, according to the preliminary information that we have received, there is a financial loss of 300 to 400 million dollars, which may increase further. Sources say that due to recent unrest in certain industries, our exports and production were disrupted to the tune of $250-300 million in September alone.

The businessmen who benefited from the fallen government have again started a conspiracy of instability in the garment sector of the country. On the one hand, various initiatives are being taken by the government to bring stability to the garment sector. On the other hand, Awami League leaders and activists are continuously trying to create instability in this sector. Apart from this, the people concerned believe that Awami League supporters factory owners are also playing a role in continuing the unrest.

Garment traders say that Awami League-backed factory owners and neighboring countries are playing a key role in the ongoing unrest to embarrass the current interim government. They say that more than 150 garment factories and at least 400,000 workers have been affected due to the recent unjustified protests. Due to such instability, the owners of these institutions are worried about how they will pay the workers.

The workers of a factory called T&Z Apparel Limited in Chandna area of Gazipur are protesting by blocking the highway demanding three months salary arrears. They protested from last Saturday morning. Traffic on the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway is closed. The workers joined work yesterday after the government decided to pay the arrears of the garment workers.

Labor leader and executive director of Awaz Foundation Najma Akhter told Naya Digant that the current government has taken several steps to remove the instability in the garment sector. However, these steps are not working because of some businessmen supported by the fallen Awami League. These conspirators are conspiring in various ways to debunk the government. He said that the instability of T&Z Apparel Limited was created in a planned manner. The owner of the company is doing business throughout the year but is not paying the salary of the workers. The owner of the company is now absconding abroad after committing various misdeeds. Workers are not being paid on the pretext that he is not in the country. Earlier, the workers had blocked the Dhaka-Mymensingh highway for 53 consecutive hours since last Saturday. They said that they are adamant about not leaving the highway if they don’t get paid. Later, they left the road around 2 o’clock on the promise of paying one month’s salary.

Nazir Ahmed, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime) of Gazipur Metropolitan Police said, the secretary has invited a delegation of workers to Dhaka to discuss how and when the workers’ other demands and dues will be paid. Their dues will be paid in phases. At this time, the secretary requested the workers to leave the highway. The workers are told, discuss among yourselves and decide, we are waiting.

A former vice-president and two present officials of BGMEA were contacted to find out the amount of financial loss due to the blockade of the highway for three consecutive days. None of them agreed to be identified. After assuring that the identity will not be revealed, they said that 130 million dollars worth of goods are exported from Bangladesh every day. Among them, about 30 percent of export goods are transported through Dhaka-Mymensingh highway. That is, goods worth more than 40 million dollars of total exports are transported through this highway.

The blockade, which began last Saturday, brought traffic to a standstill on the highway. As a result, the exporters are forced to reach the destination by alternative means. This is both time consuming and costly. Still, it is estimated that one-fourth of the total daily exports have been affected. In other words, daily exports of about 10 million dollars have been damaged. As such, exports worth about 30 million dollars have been affected in the last three days. This is what the concerned said.

Several industrial owners, who did not wish to be named, said that due to this blockade, an average of 15 to 20 factories in the vicinity had to be closed. Still the industrial owners have lost a huge amount of money. Production has been disrupted. In order to meet this shortfall, they will have to increase their production in the future by any means.

In this regard, the industrial police said that a circle is creating instability in industrial factories to push the current government into an unstable situation. Now it is important for advisors to pay special attention to the worker dissatisfaction of Beximco Group.