Paris, July 15: A leading international human rights organisation on Wednesday expressed grave concern over widespread labour rights violations and a deteriorating human rights situation in Bangladesh’s ready-made garment (RMG) sector during the first half of 2026.
In its latest report, titled, “Threads Under Pressure: The Ready-Made Garment Workers’ Rights Crisis in Bangladesh 2026,” the Justice Makers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) documented “persistent patterns of delayed and unpaid wages, mass layoffs, factory closures, suppression of peaceful labour protests, excessive use of force by law enforcement agencies, unsafe working conditions, inadequate occupational health and sanitation facilities, and weak enforcement of labour protections.”
As per the findings, around 20,783 workers from 80 garment factories lost their jobs between January and June 2026 across Bangladesh. It further noted that 457 garment and textile factories reportedly ceased operations between August 2024 and June 2026, leaving more than 240,000 workers unemployed.
According to the report, 205 factories were closed due to insufficient work orders, 190 due to financial insolvency, 11 following labour unrest, and 51 due to other reasons, including “political instability, banking constraints, energy shortages, shortages of raw materials, and factory relocation.” (IANS)
