"1 Million Bangladeshi Garment Workers Lose Jobs Amid COVID-19 Economic Fallout", 3 April 2020

At least one-quarter of garment workers in Bangladesh — the world's second-largest clothing manufacturer, after China — have been fired or furloughed because of declining global orders amid the coronavirus crisis, according to the Penn State Center for Global Workers' Rights.

Workers in Bangladeshi factories sew clothing for some of the world's biggest fashion brands. The country's apparel industry employs more than 4 million workers and has been an engine of robust economic growth in recent years, contributing about 84% of Bangladesh's export revenue.

...Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced a $588 million coronavirus stimulus package for the country's apparel industry. She asked companies to put the aid toward workers' salaries.

But CGWR found that 72% of furloughed workers were sent home without pay. It also found that 98% of buyers — many of them big global clients — refused to contribute to the cost of partial wages for furloughed employees, as Bangladeshi law requires.

Some fashion retailers, including H&M and Target, have committed to paying for orders already placed with Bangladeshi factories, CGWR found. But others, including JCPenney, Kohl's and Walmart, have not...