As many as 1,794 retrenched workers in the country’s garment, leather and footwear industry will get Tk 3,000 a month under the social safety net programme funded by EU.
The cash support programme, whose start would be backdated to September, was inaugurated by State Minister for Labour and Employment Monnujan Sufian on Tuesday.
Considering the workers' livelihoods, the EU, the largest export destination for Bangladeshi goods, announced a €113 million grant to pay three months of wages to one million workers laid off in export-oriented industries amid the pandemic.
While a list was prepared with help from the sectors’ trade bodies, Sufian urged the workers to enlist their names through digital means in their respective factories for becoming eligible for the cash support.
About 70,000 workers from about 300 factories lost jobs, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.
However, there is no concrete data about the job loss in the export-oriented leather and footwear industries as well as the knitwear sectors.
The number of beneficiaries will be increased.
The minister went on to urge the international community and development partners to come forward with more financial support for workers if the pandemic fallout prolongs.
