REFAYET ULLAH MIRDHA

More than a year after the July uprising and the unrest that forced scores of factories to shut, many units remain closed amid funding shortages, delayed insurance claims, and stringent banking conditions — leaving tens of thousands of workers still out of work.

Many of the affected factories belong to major conglomerates linked to the ousted Awami League government, including the Beximco Group, Gazi Group, and the Bengal Group of Industries.

“Nearly two lakh garment workers have lost their jobs since the July uprising last year. Of them, only about 50,000 have managed to find new work as many factories are still struggling to reopen,” said Mohammad Hatem, president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).

For instance, Beximco Textile, once employing 35,000 workers inside the Beximco Industrial Park in Kashimpur, now has only about 15 percent of its workforce. All 15 units at the park have remained shut since the group failed to pay wages after its owner was jailed on charges of instigating killings during the uprising.

Many of the workers who lost their jobs were not hired by other companies due to their history of working at Beximco, said Khalid Shahrior, head of HR and compliance for the Textile and Garment Division of Beximco Group.