A Uniqlo staff walks among clothing stored at the press room of the corporate headquarters in Tokyo. The attack by Bangladeshi militants has also dealt a blow to the country's garment industry.Eugene Hoshiko
As Bangladesh recovers from two deadly attacks this month, the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker Safety (ABWS) says garment factories under its membership will stay the course and continue regular operations.
On July 1, five young militants killed 20 people, mostly foreigners, in a café in Dhaka, the country's capital. Five days later, militants attacked police guarding Bangladesh's biggest Eid festival marking the end of Ramadan, killing three and wounding 14.
While some travel bans were put in place for foreign personnel, ABWS country director James F. Moriarty said he was "not aware" of any companies withdrawing staff or contracts from the country. The ABWS represents 28 major brands operating in Bangladesh, including several Canadian companies – Canadian Tire, Hudson's Bay Co., Giant Tiger and YM Inc. – as well as Gap Inc., Wal-Mart Stores Inc., Nordstrom Inc. and Target Corp.
"We are not seeing people pulling out," Mr. Moriarty said from Dhaka on Tuesday. "What we're seeing right now is the companies, the brands not sending people from their home countries and basically indicating to the factory owners that they would be meeting outside the country to be discussing order and other issues."
Bangladesh's $26-billion (U.S.) garment industry makes up about 80 per cent of its exports, and four million jobs.
Some companies have cited concerns over safety in light of the recent attacks. Earlier this month, Fast Retailing Co. Ltd., the Japanese owner of the Uniqlo casual-wear brand, said it would suspend all but critical travel to Bangladesh and told staff there to stay indoors.
Mr. Moriarty said he has seen anger in Bangladesh over what has happened in the past few weeks.
"If it produces effective action against the small minority of people who are trying to destroy much of what is good in Bangladeshi society, then the long-term impact will be limited," he said. "If things worsen, then the country is going to be in for a rough time."
- With files from Reuters