17,500 lose jobs following factories’ inspection

Some 17,500 workers became jobless following the closure of 16 garment factories in Dhaka city after the inspection by Accord, an association of European garment buyers. Disclosing the figure, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) Atiqul Islam on Saturday apprehended that the number of jobless garment workers will reach 100,000 in next three months and 500,000 in next 5 months if the inspection continued. He made the observation at a discussion on national budget at Dhaka Chamber Auditorium in the city seeking special support from the government to protect the country’s leading foreign exchange-earning industry. Economic Reporters Forum (ERF) organised the seminar titled “Upcoming Budget: Promises and Challenges” with its president Sultan Mahmud Badal in the chair. Country’s leading economists, researchers, business leaders and retired bureaucrats spoke at the function, according to UNB.