Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The apparels exporters have protested the government’s order to shut down the factories during the World Cup cricket, saying the move has already affected the country’s main export earners sector.
Power distribution companies have already asked the manufacturers to follow government orders and keep factories closed from 5pm to 11pm (local time), so that the cricket crazy viewers can watch matches on television from the saved electricity.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), wrote a letter to the power minister and the prime minister’s office, protesting the anti-industry and anti-labour move.
“The order to shut factories has already started affecting the garment factories. We won’t be able to ship our products in time if the order is not scrapped immediately,” BGMEA President Abdus Salam Murshedy reportedly said.
Apparel export is the backbone of Bangladesh economy, accounting for 80 percent of the country’s 16.2 billion dollars shipment in the 2009-10 financial year. The factories employ more than three million workers, mostly women.
The country faces power crisis as demand has outstripped supply by 30 percent. The crisis is acute during peak hours in the night when the state-owned suppling companies ration power.
The government took similar steps during the soccer World Cup in 2010 as power blackouts during the decisive matches saw tens of thousands of people staging violent protests, vandalizing power offices and damaging cars.
Along with India and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh is a co-host of the World Cup cricket, which kicked off in Dhaka on February 19.
BBN/SSR/AD-28Feb11-9:16 am (BST)
