Eid salary, bonus paid to workers: Industrial Police
Almost all garment factories have completed paying the wages to their workers yesterday along with the festival bonus for Eid-ul-Azha.
“So far, we have not heard of any chaos for non-payment,” Abdus Salam, director general of Industrial Police, told The Daily Star yesterday.
“Only a few small and non-member BGMEA and BKMEA factories are still paying the workers. I hope they will also clear the payments by today.”
The country has 3,846 garment factories, including the members and non-members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA).
As of 3:30pm yesterday, some 95.38 percent or 3,668 factories have completed paying salaries for July while some 97.89 percent or 3,764 factories have cleared the bonus, according to data from Industrial Police.
Out of the 3,639 non-readymade garment factories monitored by the Industrial Police, some 93.63 percent or 3,407 have already paid July salaries while 94.63 percent or 3,443 have cleared the bonus.
BGMEA members have been able to send the workers home in a festive mood by clearing the salaries and bonuses despite the hardship caused by a 30 percent rise in cost of production, Rubana Huq, BGMEA president, said in a message.
“To the best of our knowledge, no one, in our radar has been left out. The team at BGMEA has been vigilant and has diligently supervised,” Huq said.
“Meantime, we hope that from next year onward, payment of salary and bonus will not be a media event and that it will not even be considered to be in your news radar.”
“…an industry needs to pay the salary and bonus and be a partner in the joy and festive mood of the workers who, at the end of our day, determine the sustainability of the industry,” she also said.
BGMEA said it primarily listed 278 small and medium factories for monitoring as those seemed vulnerable and may fail to clear payment ahead of the Eid.
But finally, the number was lowered down to 47 units, according to BGMEA.
Sirajul Islam Rony, a union leader, said there is no chaos for non-payment till now as the factory owners have been paying the workers.
“Primarily, some factories have faced difficulties. But they have recovered and are finally paying the workers,” said Rony, who is also a former member of the minimum wage board for the garment workers.
