Workers Party of Bangladesh proposes no job cuts

Workers Party of Bangladesh (WPB) today proposed that no job cut should take place at industries and offices in the wake of the coronavirus fallout in the country.

The WPB politburo in meeting connected through WhatsApp also proposed providing incentives to entrepreneurs.

It also called for united leadership of political parties, social organisations and people's representatives to face the Covid-19 threat in the country.

They made the calls as two more coronavirus infected persons died in the last 24 hours in the country, taking the number of deaths from the infection to eight, according to the Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR).

The WPB also proposed that main responsibilities of fighting the coronavirus be handed over to professional epidemiologists, virologists, microbiologists and physicians in place of bureaucrats of health services.

"Personal safety of physicians, health workers and health assistants should be ensured first. They should be taken under coverage of insurance," WPB said in a statement.

"Indiscriminate use of PPE [Personal Protective Equipment] should be stopped," they added.

Fair price of paddy and others essentials should also be ensured --if needed government should buy directly from producers. Employment opportunities should be created, otherwise unemployment allowances should be given.

Amid the countrywide lockdown, workers' futures are uncertain. People who live hand to mouth are going to be the hardest hit in the crisis, the party said in the statement.

The ready-made garments sector is already facing cancellation of work orders worth of crores of taka. Export, except perhaps pharmaceuticals sector, will not increase anytime soon. Inflow of remittance -- the backbone of foreign reserves -- will come down sharply. Many Bangladeshi expatriate workers have returned home and many more will need to come back.

As a result, national income will take a nosedive and that will create huge pressure on employment opportunities. Bangladesh will not be able to avoid the effects of a worldwide recession, the party said.