Industrial police data: Half of factories yet to pay eid bonus
Even after the stipulated deadline has passed, about one-fourth of industrial factories are yet to pay wages for February. Meanwhile, half of the factories have not yet paid eid bonuses to their workers.
A total of 10,100 industrial factories across different regions of the country are under the supervision of the industrial police.
According to data provided by the agency, as of Monday, 25 per cent, meaning 2,544 factories, had not paid last month’s wages and allowances. In addition, 45.57 per cent, or 5,007 factories, have not yet paid eid bonuses.
At the beginning of this month, following a tripartite meeting between owners, workers and the government, labour and employment adviser Ariful Haque Chowdhury instructed that February wages be paid by 9 March and eid bonuses by 12 March.
The government also arranged soft loans equivalent to one month’s wages for operational and export-oriented industries to help them pay workers.
Additionally, the finance ministry released Tk 25 billion in outstanding cash incentives for the export-oriented industrial sector this month.
Despite these measures, as in previous years, workers have taken to the streets ahead of Eid demanding payment of wages and bonuses.
Salahuddin Swapan, former general secretary of the IndustriALL Bangladesh Council (IBC), a crucial coalition of IndustriALL Global Union affiliates in Bangladesh, representing garment, textile, and leather workers, said some owners in the readymade garment sector are deliberately delaying February wages and bonuses.
According to him, if wages and bonuses are paid earlier, workers tend to demand a portion of the current month’s salary as well. However, some factories have already paid February wages and bonuses along with 10 days’ salary for March.
In Gazipur, payment of wages and allowances for more than a hundred workers at HDF Apparels remains uncertain, as the factory owner is reportedly missing. In Narayanganj, uncertainty had also arisen over the payment of wages and bonuses at a factory.
Later, three leaders of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) provided a loan of Tk 3 million to bring the situation under control.
Confirming the matter, BKMEA president Mohammad Hatem told Prothom Alo, “Banking transactions will continue in the industrial areas on Wednesday and Thursday. Factories will clear workers’ wages, allowances and bonuses before granting leave within this time. We hope there will be no issues regarding payments.”
Meanwhile, of the 2,127 operational factories (in Dhaka and Chattogram) that are owned by members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), 2,090 had paid February wages as of Monday—leaving 37 factories yet to do so.
Of those factories, eid bonuses have been paid by 2,051, meaning 76 have not yet disbursed bonuses. In addition, five factories still have January wages outstanding, while 478 factories have paid advance wages for March.
Asked about the situation, BGMEA president Mahmud Hasan Khan told Prothom Alo, “There may be last-minute issues in one or two factories regarding the payment of wages and bonuses. If that happens, we will try to resolve them. We are closely monitoring the disbursement of workers’ wages and bonuses.”
According to BGMEA, eid holidays will begin today, Tuesday, in 35 per cent (625) of garment factories. Another 45 per cent (803 factories) will go on leave on Wednesday, while 89 factories will begin their holidays on Thursday.