Separate guideline for private sector sought on general holiday

The conditional general holiday for the ‘red zones’ to prevent and contain COVID-19 infections has created confusion as the government previously allowed export-oriented factories to operate during the nationwide shutdown for over two months.

People representing the private sector underlined the need for working out a guideline to set conditions for the general holiday being announced through executive orders.

‘The general holiday in places might create conflict. We are trying to resolve most problems through our local chambers and, in case of failure, are taking them to the ministries concerned,’ said the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries president Sheikh Fazle Fahim.

Asked whether it would affect jobs of employees in private industries, he replied in the negative. ‘I don’t think it would affect anyone’s employment.’  

Former president of Bangladesh Employers Federation Fazlul Hoque said, ‘The government should have prepared the guideline in consultation with the stakeholders before putting any area on lockdown.’

 We have not faced any big problem yet as no big industrial unit came under lockdown, for which the general holiday has been announced, he said.

He told New Age that the government should address the issue before any such big problem arises over the matter in the coronavirus pandemic.

The general holiday will be applicable to the officials and employees working at all the government, semi-government, autonomous, semi-autonomous, statutory and non-government offices as well as organisations in the red zones for 21 days to contain and prevent the coronavirus transmissions, according to an official gazette notification issued by the public administration on June 21. 

The general holiday will also be applicable to the employees of all these offices and organisations in the red zones staying outside, said the official order.  

Without elaborating, it said that emergency services would remain outside the purview of the general holiday. 

Asked about the latest general holiday, former Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association president Md Siddiqur Rahman said that a guideline for the private sector was required so that people in the relevant areas could understand what to do and what not to do not without any confusion. 

‘The government should announce widely beforehand what would be allowed and what would not be during the general holiday,’ he said, adding that the government earlier did not restrict operations of export-oriented factories during the general holidays.

Asked whether workers would lose jobs, Siddiqur, also an employer, expressed the hope that the export-oriented factories would remain outside the purview of the general holiday this time also.

The government earlier announced a staggered general holiday across the country with effect from March 26 till May 30 to contain the COVID19 outbreak.

In a fresh move, the public administration ministry, issuing separate circulars on Sunday and again on Monday, announced a 21-day general holiday in the 136 red zones under 15 districts amid rising cases of COVID-19.

Only the emergency services are kept outside the general holiday in the red zones. 

Neither state minister for public administration Farhad Hossain nor the ministry’s secretary Shaikh Yusuf Harun were found available for comments despite repeated attempts.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net