As many as 889 factories — 9.25 per cent — have yet to pay festival bonuses to their workers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr though factories closed their doors on Thursday.
According to the Industrial Police, there are 9,616 factories operating in Bangladesh – excluding the Dhaka metropolitan area, and 8,727 factories or 90.75 per cent paid Eid bonuses till Thursday 7:30pm.
However, 262 factories out of 9,616 have yet to pay the wages for March to their workers, the data shows.
At a tripartite meeting on April 5, State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian asked the owners to pay March wages before April 10 and bonuses before the Eid holidays.
The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) claimed that all the factories under the apex body have cleared March wages and Eid bonuses to their workers.
“Many factories fell into financial crisis and the BGMEA helped them to arrange money to pay workers. Many factories took loans from the BGMEA. So far we have been able to clear bonuses and March wages before the Eid vacation,” BGMEA Director Md Khosru Chowdhury told The Business Post.
Amid the upcoming Eid, 79 factories across the country will continue their operation. Those factories are basically manufacturing essential products, according to the Industrial Police.
