State Minister for Labour and Employment Ministry Monnujan Sufian on Wednesday announced that there would be no factory layoffs until May and the owners could not fire workers.
Apparel workers unable to join factories this month due to lock-down would receive 60% of their wages.
The junior minister was holding a meeting with trade union leaders at Sramo Bhaban in the capital.
Trade union leaders including Bangladesh Shramik League President Fazlul Haque Montu were present at the meeting.
On Tuesday, the decision was taken at a Tripartite Consultative Council meeting.
“In the present context, the factory owners could not declare factory layoffs until May,” Sirajul Islam Rony, President of the Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, told Dhaka Tribune, quoting Monnujan Sufian.
According to the latest data of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), as many as 397 apparel factories employing roughly 10 lakh workers have laid off so far due to lack of orders from foreign buyers during the coronavirus pandemic.
From April 26, apparel makers started to reopen factories in phases but a good number of workers are still unable to join their workplaces as they are staying their village homes outside Dhaka due to the lock-down and public holiday till May 5.
