Majority of workers of different industrial sectors, including textile and readymade garment (RMG) in six industrial zones across the country, are yet to receive festival allowance as of Monday.
A total of 6,014 factories out of 7,602 units under the jurisdiction of Industrial Police, except Dhaka metropolitan area, in six zones—Ahsulia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Chattogram, Mymensingh and Khulna are yet to pay the festival allowance.
Among the 6,014 units, 2,878 factories are textile and RMG including that of Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA). The rest belong to non-RMG sectors, according to Industrial Police data.
Besides, workers of more than 800 factories are yet to get monthly wages for June until Monday, police data showed.
Earlier on July 15, the government in a meeting with leaders of the Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (SKOP) set July 25 deadline for payment of festival allowance and July wage payment for all industrial sectors’ workers.
Later on July 20, the government in a tripartite meeting having representations from both labour and factory owners set July 27 for payment of festival allowance while it set July 30 for making half month July wage payment for garment workers.
The meeting, however, kept the July 25 deadline for other industrial sectors to make festival allowance and July month’s wages payment.
According to Industrial Police data, of 2,878 units that did not pay festival allowance until Monday, some 1,439 are members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), 967 are listed with Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), 305 are registered with Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) and 165 are under BEPZA.
Besides, out of the 834 factories, 291 textile and RMG units and rest 536 non-RMG units did not pay monthly wages for June until Monday.
Some 176 BGMEA member units did not pay wages for June while the number is 63 listed with BKMEA, 52 registered with BTMA and seven are BEPZA factories.
BGMEA, on the other hand, claimed that 74 per cent or 1,378 out of its listed 1,874 factories paid festival allowance until Monday.
Festival allowance in 496 factories is in under process, it claimed.
The government has disbursed a total of TK 75 billion to pay the workers' wages of export-oriented industries, mostly RMG, for three months from April last.
Recently, the government has announced another fund of Tk 30 billion as soft loan for the export-oriented industries, mainly garments, to pay workers' wages for the month of July.
