Festival allowances, wages remain due in many RMG factories

Many of the readymade garment workers across the country were not given their wages and festival allowances on Tuesday, the last working day before Eid-ul-Fitr. 

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association claimed that more than 97 per cent of factories paid wages and 99 per cent cleared festival allowances to their workers although the Eid, one of the biggest religious festivals of the Muslims, is to be celebrated on Thursday or Friday depending on the sighting of the moon.

Labour leaders, however, differed with the BGMEA statistics and claimed that wages and festival allowances still remained due in many factories.

Meanwhile, different labour organisations on Tuesday staged demonstration in the city against opening fire on readymade garment workers at Tongi in Gazipur injuring at least 15 workers as they demanded an extension of Eid holiday.

Condemning the firing on workers by Industrial Police, labour rights groups demanded punishment of the police officers responsible for the attack.

Organisations also demanded payment of wages and festival allowances in all RMG factories as per the law.

There are about a thousand RMG factories that are not members of BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA.

According to BGMEA data, 97.54 per cent of its active member factories paid wages for the month of April to their workers till Tuesday while 99 per cent of unit cleared festival allowances.

Data showed that out of 1,913 active factories of the trade body, workers’ wages had been paid in 1866 factories and festival allowances had been cleared in 1,882 units.

The rest of the factories would pay wages and festival allowances to their workers today (Wednesday), the BGMEA said.