DHAKA - One in four garment factories that received a taxpayer-backed stimulus package during the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic in Bangladesh laid off workers in breach of the conditions attached to the subsidised loans, a new study reveals.
The factories laid off workers despite agreeing not to do so when receiving money as part of the 105 million taka (US$1.25m) government scheme, reports the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) think tank.
The money had been supposedly made available to factory owners so that they would be able to pay the salaries of their workers for three months from April to June in 2020.