According to a list prepared by the Industrial Police, at least 416 factories are likely to face problems in paying wages and bonuses to their employees before Eid-ul-Fitr.
71 of the factories are members of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers Association (BKMEA), 29 are members of the Bangladesh Textile Mill Association (BTMA), and 171 of the firms are members of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), according to sources.
The Industrial Police convened a meeting to deliberate on measures to avert any unfavourable issues with the disbursement of paychecks and Eid bonuses to RMG labourers.
In a press statement issued after the meeting, the Industrial Police said, “If the owner of a garment fails to pay the salary and other allowance, we request that they find an alternative.”
Chief of Industrial Police Mahabubor Rahman told the local media, “The list we have prepared might increase or decrease in the coming days.”
“We are alert, we hope there will be no problem before Eid,” he added.
Mohammad Hatem, executive president of BKMEA shared with the local media that, “Many factories do not have enough purchase orders. In addition, the Bangladesh Bank has not yet released a significant number of incentives. Due to this, some factories are facing problems paying salaries and bonuses.”
He also added, “In reality, more factories are in financial crisis than the list given by the Industrial Police. But we are continuing to try to resolve it.”
Faruque Hassan, president of BGMEA averred, “There is an impact of the increase in wages of RMG workers last December. At the same time, the facility of incentives has been reduced. Due to these reasons, it may be difficult for many factory owners to pay bonuses before Eid.”
Meanwhile, Zahidul Islam Siddique, managing director of Oishi Design Limited, located in Savar’s Ashulia area, which is on the Industrial Police list claimed “There is no problem in our factory. We have no dues. I don’t know why is our factory name on the list.”
The number of factories in the area under the jurisdiction of the Industrial Police is 9,467. Apart from this, there are also factories in the area under the jurisdiction of Dhaka Metropolitan Police.
