As many as 266 garment factories may struggle to pay wages and festival bonuses to workers ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr, according to the Industrial Police.
This was disclosed at the 94th meeting of the Tripartite Consultative Council (TCC), organised by the Ministry of Labour and Employment at CIRDAP auditorium in the capital.
The meeting was chaired by Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury.
Commerce Minister Khandaker Abdul Muktadir, State Minister for Labour Md Nurul Haque, and Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin were also present.
According to the Industrial Police, the number of vulnerable factories is higher in Gazipur, Ashulia and Chattogram industrial belts.
Industry insiders said order shortages, global market uncertainty and financial strain have pushed a section of factories into liquidity crisis, raising concerns over timely payment of wages and bonuses before Eid.
Data presented at the meeting show that Gazipur tops the list with 82 factories at risk. Among them, 24 are affiliated with BGMEA, eight with BKMEA, eight with BTMA and 39 belong to other associations.
In Ashulia, 60 factories have been identified as vulnerable – 34 under BGMEA, four under BKMEA, one under BTMA, two under BEPZA and 19 under other groups.
Chattogram has 55 such factories, including 15 under BGMEA, four under BKMEA, eight under BTMA, five under BEPZA and 23 under other associations. Mymensingh accounts for 40 factories, Narayanganj 25 and Cumilla four. No factories in Khulna and Sylhet have been listed as vulnerable.
In terms of association-wise breakdown, 85 of the 266 factories are affiliated with BGMEA, 37 with BKMEA, 36 with BTMA, nine with BEPZA and 97 with other organisations.
At the meeting, the labour minister directed factory owners to clear outstanding wages within seven working days and pay Eid bonuses by 12 March.
He urged both employers and workers to work in coordination to prevent public suffering and instructed that no workers be laid off or retrenched without valid reasons.
He also said that in line with the government’s general holiday notification and the Bangladesh Labour Act, 2006, Eid holidays should be fixed through consultation between employers and workers.
The state minister for labour, as a special guest, stressed that wages and allowances must be paid on time considering the prevailing domestic and global situation to avoid labour unrest.
Worker representatives at the meeting called for prompt payment of arrears ahead of Eid and demanded that maternity leave for female workers be extended to six months.
Fazle Shamim Ehsan of the Bangladesh Employers’ Federation and TCC Vice-President Md Anwar Hossain also spoke at the meeting.
