DHAKA, OCT 20 – Bangladesh’s vital garment industry has suffered US$400 million in losses due to unrest following a student-led revolution that ousted the country’s autocratic prime minister, industry leaders said today.
The South Asian nation’s 3,500 garment factories account for about 85 percent of its US$55 billion in annual exports, but the unrest has caused significant disruption to the flagship industry.
After several months of protests, the former leader of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, fled by helicopter to neighboring India on August 5.
The interim government has been taken over by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, but protests in some garment factories continue where workers are demanding better jobs and wages.
The president of Bangladesh Garment and Industrial Workers Federation, Kalpana Akhtar, said today about the need for a drastic change in the attitude of factory owners and also the government.
“It is important to ensure stability in this sector,” he added.
Bangladesh is the world’s second largest apparel exporter by value after China and supplies many of the world’s top brands, including Levi’s, Zara and H&M. – AFP
