The Unprecedented Pandemic “COVID-19†Effect on the Apparel Workers by shivering the Apparel Supply Chain

Authors

  • Shuvro Sen Research Associate, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7481-4515
  • Neel Antara World Heritage Studies, Brandenburg University of Technology, Cottbus, Germany http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0227-1635
  • Shusmita Sen Department of Finance, The University of Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh
  • Sunny Chowdhury Department of Business Studies, International Islamic University Chittagong, Chittagong, Bangladesh

Abstract

COVID-19, known as a pandemic, affects the global economy. ILO declared this virus as a labor market and economic crisis. This study has been conducted for understanding the effect of COVID-19 on the apparel industry and the apparel manufacturing workers. This is a descriptive study, following the inductive procedure. The relevant information has been collected from the current academic literature, newspapers, reports publications, and relevant web pages. An online interview with the manufacturers, policymakers, trade unions, researchers, and academicians has been conducted for primary information collection. This study has found that the apparel industry is one of the most affected industries among the other industries by COVID-19. The retailers’ shops are being closed with having zero turnovers which leads to ordering cancelation to the manufacturing factories. Bangladesh's apparel manufacturing industry is also drastically affected due to COVID-19. The factories can’t pay the workers’ salaries in this critical situation. Therefore, millions of workers have been sent home without their wages. Sometimes, it has predicted that the workers would lose jobs due to factory closure. The Government took lots of initiatives i.e. tax rebates, reduce VAT, financial support to the owners to pay the workers’ wages, loan installment rescheduling, etc. Albeit, these initiatives were taken for the welfare of the factory owners and the workers remain oppressed. So, a proper policy strategy is indeed an emergency to support the destitute workforce during the COVID-19 as well as in future financial crises that can happen due to this kind of epidemic or any reason. This study will be supportive to the stakeholders of this sector to learn the impact of COVID-19 on the workers and make the necessary adjustment for the future betterment.

Author Biography

  • Shuvro Sen, Research Associate, BRAC University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
    Shuvro Sen is currently working as a Research Associate at BRAC University, Bangladesh at a research project titled “The Regulation of International Supply Chains (RISC): Lessons from the Governance of Occupational Health & Safety in the Bangladesh Ready-Made Garment Industryâ€, funded by Danish International Development Agency. Besides this, he is working as a Lead Researcher at "Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), Bangladesh". He earned a master’s degree in ‘Strategic and International Management’ and a bachelor's degree in ‘Management’ from the University of Dhaka. His current research interest is “Business and Management, Corporate Social Responsibilities (CSR), Supply Chain Management (SCM), Green CSR, Green SCM, Governance, Technology, Apparel Industry†etc. He has published research and reviewed journals both at Springer, Elsevier, Emerald, etc.

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Published

2020-06-12

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 3 (2020)

Section

Scholarly Articles

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