A majority of garment workers have not been paid their wages for the month of March, though only one or two days remain before Eid-ul-Fitr, subject to moon sighting.
Until Monday evening, a staggering 60 per cent of workers in the readymade garment and textile factories were awaiting their wages, while 14 per cent did not receive any bonus or festival allowance.
According to the industrial police, there are 2,534 readymade garment and textile factories in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Cumilla, and Sylhet. Of them, only 1,009 factories paid their workers' wages for March, while 2,183 factories disbursed festival bonuses.
However, leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) have claimed that there are no significant issues regarding the wages and bonuses and that all factories will complete payment of wages and bonuses to their workers by Tuesday.
While talking to a number of worker leaders said the labour and employment ministry used to determine a deadline for the factories to pay their workers' wages and bonuses, but it now refrains from doing so due to pressure from the factory owners.
The ministry has limited itself to asking the factories to pay the wages and allowances before Eid, essentially leaving no scope to take action in the wake of complications in the payment process before Eid.
The industrial police oversee a total of 9,469 factories of various sectors in Savar, Ashulia, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Cumilla, and Sylhet.
According to their updates until 5:00 pm on Monday, around 49 per cent of factories had disbursed salaries for March, while 81 per cent had provided festival allowances.
Until Monday evening, a total of 2,984 factories went into vacation upon completion of payment of wages and bonuses. With this, 3,381 factories in total are now on vacation.
Some 920 out of 1,561 garment factories who are members of BGMEA and under the supervision of the industrial police did not pay wages for March, while 181 factories did not disburse festival allowances until Monday evening.
BGMEA President SM Mannan said they have addressed the uncertainties regarding salary and allowance payments in some particular factories. "We liquidated the machinery of a factory in Mirpur and paid the workers their wages and allowances.”
He also assured that the remaining factories will complete payments of wages and allowances by Tuesday.
Around 69 per cent of 626 factories under the BKMEA had not paid wages for March until Monday, while some 144 did not disburse festival allowances. However, Mohammad Hatem, executive president of BKMEA, assured that all of their member factories would pay the wages by Tuesday.
In contrast, the situation differed in jute mills, where 82 out of 92 mills supervised by the industrial police had made payments as of Monday.
Babul Akhtar, general secretary of Bangladesh Garments and Industrial Workers Federation, pointed out the absence of specific guidelines in the labour laws regarding salary and allowance payments before Eid.
The workers have to face uncertainties due to the legal complications and the whimsical attitude of some owners, he added.-Prothom Alo
