Since the collapse of Rana Plaza last year, which killed 1,135 workers, a total of 450 factories were shut due to compliance issues and relocation.
Lack of enough work orders, non-compliance with the rules, labour unrest, exit from business and factory relocation are resons for the closure of the factories. According to the BGMEA latest data, a total of 450 RMG factories were closed. Of the closed factories, 220 were the members of BGMEA, 170 belonged to BKMEA.
The rest are neither linked with the BGMEA nor the BKMEA that work on subcontract basis. The data also said about 40 garment factories were closed due to labour unrest. At least 1.5 lakh workers, mostly women, were employed in those factories.
“Most RMG units were shut due to safety issues while lack of enough work orders, shared building and labour unrest acted as a catalyst,” BGMEA Vice-President Shahidullah Azim told the Dhaka Tribune.
To avert further unemployment, Azim urged the government to provide gas and electricity for the factories whose owners want to relocate them.
After Rana Plaza incident, Accord and Alliance completed inspection and found less than 2% factory risky to workers’ safety.