The impact of COVID-19 on the world’s second largest RMG exporter, Bangladesh was much more devastating than that on the rest of the world. As per reports, the country lost an estimated 357,000 jobs between January and September 2020 as brands cancelled over $3 billion worth of orders. Brands such as Topshop, Hema and TJ Maxx failed to pay for completed or in-production orders, says the Workers’ Rights Consortium’s COVID-19 Tracker.

Jobless workers face poverty and hunger

Garment workers who lost their jobs did not receive any outstanding pages or severance pay despite the government rolling out a $ 590 million stimulus package in March 2020. Workers who managed to retain their jobs faced reduced work hours resulting in reduced pay. This resulted in extreme poverty for workers who died more of hunger than the disease.

Female garment workers in Bangladesh are often underpaid and overworked. Many of them are financially responsible for their family members both back home and in the city. Many workers returned to their villages last year after losing their jobs due to the pandemic while others remained in the cities, struggling to make a living.

COVID-19 reveals workers’ anxieties

As per a recent study of 610 garment and textile factories conducted by the Centre for Policy Dialogue and Brac University’s ‘Mapped in Bangladesh’ project, over 357,000 garment workers lost their jobs in 2020. Over the years, Bangladesh garment industry has witnessed some of the worst industrial disasters. On November 24, 2012, a fire broke out at the Tazreen Fashions garment factory, killing around 17 workers. On April 24, 2013, the Rana Plaza factory building in Dhaka collapsed, killing some 1,134 people and thousands more injured. This incident alerted the whole world about the appalling working conditions of the Bangladesh garment workers.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further demonstrated the incredibly difficult lives of garment workers. As per a July 2020 study, many of workers are battling anxiety over the possibility of catching the virus, meeting daily expenses and returning to old factory jobs. These workers earn approximately $96 in wages, which is almost half of the prescribed living wage.

Benefactors’ aid to rescue

This leaves garment workers at the mercy of aid provided by different benefactors, including trade unions, NGOs and donor agencies. They receive staples including rice, potatoes, cooking oil, onions and pulses from these benefactors, and are likely to soon receive a welfare fund worth €113 million from the European Union and Germany.

One of the trade unions that have been helping jobless garment workers, Akota Garments Workers Federation also donates things like food, masks and hand sanitizers. However, Kamrul Hasan, General Secretary, believes Bangladesh garment workers need more initiatives to deal with social and financial consequences of COVID-19.