1,756 factories did not pay Eid bonuses to workers: Industrial Police

Some 1,756 of 9,616 factories of the RMG, textiles, jute and other sectors in the country did not pay Eid bonuses to their workers, while 645 did not pay salaries for March till Thursday afternoon, according to the Industrial Police.

Of the factories that did not pay workers' salaries, 56 were members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), and 31 were of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said the Industrial Police.

They also said 243 BGMEA factories and 254 BKMEA members did not pay bonuses as of Thursday.

However, BGMEA claimed 2,151 (100%) of their active member factories have paid workers' salaries for March, and 2,145 factories (99.72%) have paid festival bonuses till Thursday afternoon.

BGMEA also said bonus payment in the remaining six factories was being processed and would be disbursed among workers by Thursday evening.

"Many medium and small factories are yet to pay salaries and bonuses. We hope they will clear the dues by tomorrow [Friday]," said Joly Talukder, secretary of Bangladesh Garment Workers Trade Union Centre.

Sirajul Islam Rony, president, Bangladesh National Garments Employees League, said, "This year all factory owners must clear the dues to their workers before they can close the factories on the occasion of the Eid holidays." 

Moreover, 345 (96.37%) out of 358 members of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA), have cleared their workers' wages for March, while 295 factories (82.40%) have paid Eid bonuses, according to the Industrial Police.

All of the 345 factories under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zone Authority (Bepza) have paid wages to the workers for March, and Eid bonuses.

Meanwhile, 100% of the 83 Jute mills have paid workers' salaries for March, while only 45 (54%) paid Eid bonuses.

According to the Industrial Police, 6,139 out of 6,499 factories in sectors other than RMG, textile, BEPZ, and jute sectors across the country have paid workers' wages for March, while 5,146 have disbursed festival bonuses.

BGMEA President Faruque Hassan has expressed sincere thanks to all the entrepreneurs of the garment sector for their wholehearted efforts to ensure a happy Eid-ul-Fitr by making payments to workers.

He said BGMEA closely monitored around 450 garment factories that would have faced difficulties to pay their workers and assisted them to solve their problems.

With the direct intervention of BGMEA, payments to workers in 26 factories were ensured. It held discussions with the workers, owners and federation leaders, and resolved problems either by selling factories, machinery or by talking to the banks concerned.

Workers' demand for advanced salary for April unlawful: BGMEA

Workers recently vandalised a number of factories, demanding advance salary for the first 15-20 days of April, but their demands were not in accordance with the laws, said BGMEA in a press release on Thursday.

It was the government's decision that factories would pay the salaries for March and festival allowances to the workers before Eid. But the workers demanded the salary for the first 15 days of the month of April in advance. According to the labour laws, salaries for April are to be paid within the first seven working days of the next month, which means 7 May.

If any employers are willing and able, they can pay salaries in advance, but they are not obliged to do so, said BGMEA.