32pc RMG factories yet to pay Eid bonus to workers
Some 752 or 32.26 per cent of 2,331 export-oriented readymade garment (RMG) factories in seven industrial areas, including Ashulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, and Chattogram, have not paid Eid bonuses to their workers until Wednesday.
There are 101 factories where the workers did not even receive their wages for the previous month, March, according to the industrial police.
In addition to the RMG factories, the specialised police unit monitored other industries in Ashulia, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna and Cumilla.
As per their observation, out of the 9,616 factories in seven industrial zones, 35.88 per cent or 3,450 factories have not paid their workers' Eid bonuses yet. Furthermore, 5.18 per cent or 497 factories have not paid the wages for the previous month.
Some 1,285 factories went into Eid vacation on Wednesday, taking the total number of vacation factories to 1,566 across the country. However, some 79 factories would keep their production uninterrupted during the Eid holidays.
The industrial police monitor a total of 9,616 factories in different areas of the country.
Shahidullah Azim, vice president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), slightly dissented from the industrial police’s observation.
He said there are 2,151 active factories in Dhaka and Chattogram under the BGMEA and all of them, except for 25, have paid wages for the month of March.
Also, some 90 per cent or 1,936 factories have already paid bonuses to their workers and 1,768 factories are expected to pay partial wages for the current month.
Shahidullah Azim also noted that they were in fear over the payment of wages and bonuses at two factories, but the issues have already been solved. All the factories will pay wages and bonuses to their workers by Thursday.
Some 430 factories under his association went into Eid vacation on Tuesday and 753 on Wednesday while 968 others are scheduled to go on vacation on Thursday, he added.
Mohammad Hatem, executive president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said there is no problem with the payment of salaries and bonuses now. A factory in Gazipur had complications over clearing the payments, but its owner assured of settling the issues by Thursday.
“We hope all the factories will pay the wages and bonuses and go into vacation by Thursday,” he added.
Regarding the overall issues, labour leader Sirajul Islam said the workers in some factories are demanding wages for 15 days of the current month. There are some issues with this demand, but no difficulties arose over the payment of Eid bonuses and wages for the previous month.
A meeting of the RMG tripartite consultative council (TCC) was held in the first week of the current month, with state minister for labour and employment Monnujan Sufian in the chair.
The meeting decided that the owners of the garment factories will pay the workers' bonuses before the commencement of Eid vacation, along with the wages for the previous month.