102 garment factories yet to clear Feb wages, Eid bonus pending at 299
Of the 102 factories yet to pay salaries for February, 30 factories also did not pay the salaries for January and earlier months, the report added
A total of 102 ready-made garment (RMG) and textile factories have yet to pay workers' salaries for February as of this afternoon (28 March), according to a report by the Industrial Police.
Among them, 30 factories are yet to pay salaries for January and earlier.
Meanwhile, 2,591 factories have disbursed Eid bonuses, while 299 factories—10.36% of the total—are yet to make these payments.
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Additionally, the report noted that 1,179 factories have paid half of the March salaries in advance.
The Industrial Police report states that 2,890 factories operate under the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association, Bangladesh Textile Mills Association, and Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority.
Of these, 2,788 factories have paid February wages.
Under the Bangladesh Labour Law 2006, workers' wages for the previous month must be paid within the first seven working days of the following month. Despite this, delays persist in some factories.
Across all industries, including jute mills and other manufacturing units, Bangladesh has 9,695 factories in total. Of these, 8,039 factories have paid Eid bonuses, and 1,656 have paid March salaries.
However, 4,352 factories, or nearly 45% of the total, are yet to disburse wages for March.
A previous report from the BGMEA, published on Thursday, indicated that out of 2,107 operational factories under its purview—1,769 in the Dhaka region and 338 in Chattogram—99.53% had cleared February wages, 83.20% had paid partial or full wages for March, and 94.78% had distributed Eid bonuses.
BGMEA Administrator Mohammad Anwar Hossain, in a press release, acknowledged the efforts of garment sector entrepreneurs in ensuring timely wage and bonus payments despite challenges.
The release mentioned that, upon BGMEA's request, the government instructed banks to release incentive funds, facilitating salary and bonus disbursements.
It also highlighted that priority was given to small and medium-sized factories for fund disbursement, followed by larger ones, ensuring minimal disruptions in wage and allowance payments this year.
To ease traffic congestion on highways during the Eid holidays, BGMEA has instructed factories to grant leave to workers in phases, starting from 26 March.
All workers are expected to leave for the holiday by 29 March, according to the statement.
