Bangladesh: 500+ garment factories reopen amid COVID-19 risks
"Over 500 RMG units reopen in Bangladesh amid coronavirus risks", 27 April 2020
...Though the government extended the general holiday till May 5, it allowed factories to reopen on a limited scale, spurring a huge influx of people into the COVID-19 hotspots including Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur...
Meanwhile, as uncertainty looms over jobs and wages, workers of apparel factories in... Ashulia and in Gazipur continued demonstrations for wages and reinstatement of laid off workers...
Trade union leaders alleged... the factory authorities asked many workers to join work... though they were now in their village homes. They said that workers were in uncertainty over their jobs and payment of wages as they believed that they would not get the wage... if they remained absent...
BGMEA official said that approximately 502 member factories of the trade body reopened on Sunday...
Bangladesh Institute of Planners in a statement expressed concerns over the decision of opening of the factories and said that it would increase the health risk for workers as well as the general people...