Export-oriented readymade garment factory hubs in Narayanganj, Savar and Gazipur areas are back to their usual work environs.
Most of the workforce in these factories have rejoined factories following the Eid-ul-Azha holidays.
On Saturday, many returned to work, and most of the factories in Savar and Ashulia have started their production activities.
With the garment factories opened, shopkeepers have opened tea shops, grocery shops and other shops nearby. With this, Savar has got back its previous form rendering the industrial area active.
Shamim Apparels in Charbagh, Ashulia, announced the closure of the factory one day before Eid-ul-Azha. Many workers returned to Ashulia from their village homes on August 7 as the factory closure period is until August 8.
One worker, Rahima, is an operator at the factory. She went to her village home Rajshahi to spend Eid and returned to Ashulia on August 7 after the holidays.
She said, “I thought the Eid holidays would be less this time because of Corona. However, this time I got a little extra Eid holiday. Therefore, I went home to celebrate Eid with everyone. I returned to Savar on Friday as the holiday is over. The factory is open on Saturday, I am going to work.”
Rafiqul Islam, a teashop owner in Palashbari area of Ashulia, said, “There are four garment factories around my shop. I also went home with my family when the factories were closed for Eid.’’
The factories reopened on Saturday, so I have returned from home and re-opened the shop. When the garments are closed, my shop business is also closed, he added.
Labor leaders say about 90 per cent of garment factories have opened in Savar and Ashulia.
Khairul Islam Mintu, general secretary of the Garment Workers Trade Union Center, said, “I also left my factory for holiday. On the way, the workers were seen carrying a lot of money. Most of the garment factories have opened.”
Another labour leader Sarwar Hossain of the Bangladesh Textile and Garment Workers' League, said, around 90 percent garment factories have been set up in Savar and Ashulia. Those who went home for Eid have returned to work for their livelihoods.
However, many workers are in danger when they come to work. They are in a crisis as floodwaters rise in their homes.
The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) says growth in hand sanitiser export increased by 307 percent in the 2019-20 fiscal year compared to that in the previous year.
The upswing in medical, surgical and safety equipment exports have made exporters and policymakers hopeful of the future.