Bangladesh has sought cooperation from the European Parliament for the restoration of apparel work orders, suspended or cancelled by various European brands and retailers after the COVID-19 pandemic. Cancellation or suspension of work orders has unsettled the sector and forced many owners to lay off workers, says Dr Jafar Uddin, the Commerce Minister in a letter to Bernd Lange, member of the European Parliament and chair of the committee of international trade.

Several thousand poor workers lost their jobs in recent weeks, throwing their lives and livelihoods into dire uncertainty. He urged Lange to take the initiatives to save the lives and livelihood of RMG workers, most of whom are women

BGMEA noted that at present, some four million workers employed in Bangladeshi clothing factories are the most vulnerable as till April 29, some 1,150 apparel factories reported order cancellation or suspension of products worth $3.18 billion.

BKMEA also revealed that its 523 members, out of 833, reported order suspension or cancellation of $1.78 billion.