Agencies
Bangladesh’s key garment industry lost some $400 million due to unrest following the student-led protests that ousted the country’s former premier, industry leaders said Sunday, insisting the situation was now "stable.”
The South Asian nation’s 3,500 garment factories account for around 85% of its $55 billion in annual exports, but the unrest caused significant disruptions to the linchpin industry.After months of deadly protests, ex-leader Sheikh Hasina fled by helicopter to neighboring India on Aug. 5.An interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus took over, but protests in a string of garment factories continued with workers demanding jobs and better pay.
Such demonstrations sometimes spiraled into violence. On Sept. 30, a garment worker was killed and 20 were injured in clashes between protesters and the police.
Kalpana Akhtar, president of the Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, said Sunday that there had to be "a drastic change in the attitude” of factory owners and the government."The discussion about pay raises only takes place when the workers take to the streets,” Akhtar told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
She said changes were needed "to ensure stability in this sector,” warning that "otherwise, the calm situation might not last.” Bangladesh is the world’s second-biggest exporter of clothing by value after China and supplies many of the world’s top brands, including Levi’s, Zara and H&M.
Khandaker Rafiqul Islam, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said that the "industry is currently stable after going through a challenging period.”