About 70 percent of apparel and textile factories have not yet paid March salaries, and 30 percent have yet to clear festival bonuses, according to the Industrial Police on 7 April.
The Industrial Police reported that 75.78 percent of the factories had disbursed the workers’ March wages, while 95.38 percent paid Eid-Ul-Fitr bonuses. Meanwhile, 77 of the 9,469 factories have not cleared wages for February as of April 9. Most of them have been allegedly facing financial trouble for a long time.
Among the 77 factories that haven’t paid February wages yet, 18 belong to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), seven to the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) factories, five to the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), and three to the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (BEPZA), according to Industrial Police.
However, apparel industry leaders claimed they have already cleared workers’ payments. Besides, many factory owners have declared holidays leading up to Eid-ul-Fitr to alleviate traffic congestion and ensure smooth travel for the workers.
Workers of at least 4-5 factories staged demonstrations in front of their workplaces throughout the past week, demanding outstanding wages and bonuses. According to the labour law, factory owners must pay their workers monthly wages within seven working days of the next month.
According to industrial police data, salaries for March are still pending for 344 members of BGMEA, 458 members of BKMEA, and 60 textile mills.
On the other hand, 68 BGMEA members, 19 BKMEA members and 10 textile mills have not paid festival bonuses.
Salary issues remain unsettled in Bangladesh textile sector
