ASIA – Effects of the pandemic on workers in the textile industry: “Unimaginable human suffering” – Agenzia Fides

Bangkok (Agenzia Fides) – What is the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the Asian economy and, in particular, on one of the most important branches of production in many countries in the region? A study by the “Clean Clothes Campaign”, an international coalition that deals with the production chain of the textile industry around the world, analyzes the crisis in the sector in the seven most important Asian production countries: Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Pakistan. The survey is based on statements from employers, surveys in the industry and among employees, studies of media inquiries about the impact of the pandemic, and takes into account claims for unpaid wages during the pandemic. It is an update of the August 2020 report, “Un(der) paid in the Pandemic”,which estimated economic losses to textile workers between 3.2 and 5.8 billion dollars in the first three months of the pandemic. But, according to the study, “although brands and retailers are making profits again, the situation of workers has deteriorated further: having a year with withheld or cut wages due to unfair purchasing practices by the big brands and retailers, non-payment of orders, sudden cancellations and price reductions the workers are driven even deeper into the abyss. The growing number of Covid-19 infections also aggravates the picture “.

ASIA – Effects of the pandemic on workers in the textile industry: “Unimaginable human suffering” – Agenzia Fides