United News of Bangladesh

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Wednesday claimed that all member factories have cleared workers' salaries for February and Eid bonuses. BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan said  99.91 percent of factories have paid February salaries, while 99.81 percent have completed the disbursement of festival bonuses. Although not legally mandatory, over 64 percent of factories have also provided partial advance wages for the month of March to facilitate workers' holiday travel, he said at a press briefing in the capital. BGMEA thanks govt for releasing Tk 2,500 crore in export incentives BGMEA data revealed that export earnings fell by 3.73 percent during the first eight months of the current fiscal year. The industry is currently grappling with a triple-pressure scenario: a global economic slowdown, geopolitical instability—particularly in the Middle East—and intensified international competition, he said. Key indicators of the crisis include a 6.79 percent drop in the opening of back-to-back LCs for raw materials and a 1.76 percent decrease in the average unit price of garments, said BGMEA president. Over the last five years, gas prices have surged by 286% and electricity by 33 percent, yet a seamless energy supply remains elusive, it said.

Despite clear directives from the government, nearly half of the country’s industrial units have failed to clear Eid bonuses for their workers, while one-fourth are still sitting on outstanding wages for February. The Ministry of Labour and Employment had earlier instructed factory owners to clear February’s salaries by March 9 and Eid bonuses by March 12. However, data from the Industrial Police reveals that as of Monday, these deadlines have been largely ignored by a significant number of employers. According to the Industrial Police, which monitors 10,100 factories across the country, 2,544 units (25 percent) have not yet paid February’s wages. Furthermore, 5,007 factories accounting for 45.57 percent of the total are yet to provide Eid bonuses to their employees. Earlier this month, following a tripartite meeting between the government, owners, and labor leaders, Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury issued the payment deadlines. To facilitate this, the government even arranged soft loans for export-oriented industries and released Tk 2,500 crore in cash assistance. Despite these measures, workers in several areas have been forced to take to the streets to demand their dues, a recurring scene ahead of the Eid holidays. Salahuddin Shapan, former Secretary General of the Industrial Bangladesh Council, alleged that some garment owners are intentionally delaying payments. "They fear that if bonuses and February salaries are paid early, workers will demand a portion of March’s wages before leaving for the holidays," he said. In Gazipur, the fate of over a hundred workers at HDF Apparels remains uncertain as the factory owner is reportedly untraceable. In Narayanganj, a potential crisis was averted after leaders of the BKMEA provided a Tk 30 lakh loan to a struggling factory to cover its payroll. Millions leave Dhaka ahead of Eid; security tightened as terminals overflow However, Mohammad Hatem, President of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), expressed optimism. "Banks in the industrial zones will remain open this Wednesday and Thursday. We expect most factories to clear all dues and start holidays by then," he told the media. Data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) shows a better track record for its members. Out of 2,127 active BGMEA-listed factories, only 37 are yet to pay February salaries, while 76 have not yet cleared Eid bonuses. Notably, 478 factories have already provided advance wages for the current month of March. BGMEA President Mahmud Hasan Khan stated that the organization is closely monitoring the situation. "If any factory faces last-minute difficulties, we will step in to find a solution," he assured. The BGMEA further informed that the staggered Eid holidays would begin today (Tuesday) for 35 percent of its factories, followed by 45 percent on Wednesday and the remaining units on Thursday.

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) wants Tk 1500 crore assistance from the government to pay workers’ bonus and salaries ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr. The knitwear factory owners’ association claimed that the export-oriented sector may be in dire straits over paying workers ahead of Eid if the financial assistance is not provided. BKMEA has sent a letter regarding the financial assistance to the senior secretary at Finance Division, under the Ministry of Finance. The letter, signed by BKMEA President AKM Salim Osman, on March 30 made a request to the government for cash assistance. Read more: Payments to 3,428 garment workers, families approved from Central Fund BKMEA Executive Vice President Muhammad Hatem confirmed the development to UNB today (April 02, 2023). The letter stated that global economy is in an adverse situation due to the Russia-Ukraine war. Bangladesh’s export sector is going through a challenging time during this struggle for survival as well. Due to the ongoing global recession, most factories do not have enough work orders, so production is running at 50 to 60 percent capacity. It has become difficult to pay the workers’ salaries at the end of the month, BKMEA mentioned in the letter. International buyers are also not paying their dues on time for the products already being exported. There is huge pressure regarding paying salaries and Eid bonus this month, the letter added. “In such a situation, it will be very difficult to handle this pressure without the cooperation of the government and the finance department,” BKMEA said. Read More: Selim Osman elected as BKMEA president for 6th term

The garment workers on Friday staged a demonstration in the city demanding the immediate payment of the salary of June along with Eid bonus. Garment Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (GSKOP), an alliance of 20 worker associations, arranged the demonstration in front of the National Press Club. Read: RMG workers stage demo for third consecutive day demanding pay rise Addressing the function, the leaders of the workers also demanded introduction of dearness allowance to match with market prices of daily essentials, the ration system for workers to buy some essential commodities at subsidized prices, and ensuring the accommodation for workers at low rent. GSKOP joint coordinator Karmul Ahsan, general secretary of Garment Sramik Front Selim Mahmud, President of Motherland Garment Sramik Federation Saleha Islam Santona, President of Garment and Dorji Sramik Federation Mohammad Rafiq spoke at the programme presided over by another GSKOP joint coordinator Abdul Wahed. The labour leaders claimed that the garment factory owners are now having a very good time amid the depreciation of taka against dollar and the rise of purchase orders. But the garment workers are now facing the worst time due to price hike of daily essentials and the tremendous work pressure. Read: RMG workers stage demo in city demanding wage hike They also claimed that it is leant that some factories would not pay the 100 pc salary of June before the Eid-ul Azha. The leaders demanded the payment of the entire salary and full-fledged Eid bonus soon, said a press release.

At least 20 people were injured as in a clash between police and garment workers when the latter blocked Nabinagar-Chandra highway at Palashbari in Ashulia on Sunday demanding Eid bonus and additional leave. A group of workers of Skyline Group took to the street in front of their factory and staged demonstrations, halting vehicular movement on Nabinagar-Chandra highway around 12pm. Also read: RMG workers block Dhaka-N’ganj road demanding payment of dues On information, industrial police and Ashulia police went to the spot and asked the workers to go back to their workplace, triggering a chase and counter-chase between police and workers. Police fired rubber bullets, lobbed tear gas to disperse them, leaving 20 people injured, alleged the workers. During the clashes, the agitated workers vandalised at least 10 vehicles moving on the highway and of the factory. Traffic on the highway returned to normal after an hour when the workers left the highway. Meanwhile, the factory has declared a general holiday for today. The injured workers were rescued and given first aid. SM Kamruzzaman, officer-in-charge (OC) of Ashulia police station, said action will be taken in this regard after investigation. Also read: RMG workers go on rampage in Gazipur; Bus torched Additional police force have been deployed in front of the factory to fend off further trouble, he added. On the other hand, the workers have abstained from work  in a ready-made garment factory in Khejurbagan area of Ashulia to press home their various demands.

Garment workers blocked the Dhaka-Sylhet and Dhaka-Chattogram highways at Kanchpur in Sonargaon upazila of Narayanganj district on Thursday, demanding that their outstanding salaries be cleared immediately. Police and witnesses said several hundred workers from Opex and Sinha Group took to the highways around 9:30 am and staged sit-ins there, disrupting traffic. Read:Govt. assures vaccination for RMG workers on priority basis The workers said they did not receive their salaries for the last 4-5 months and the authorities concerned have shut down factories without any prior notice. Besides, they claimed, they did not receive their Eid bonus during Eid-ul-Fitr either. Read:Clear wages, Eid bonus by May 10: RMG workers However, a 12-km long tailback has been created on the two major highways till filing of the report 2 pm on Thursday, causing immense sufferings to passengers. Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Sonargaon Police Station, said, “Efforts are on to solve the problem and clear the highways.”

Garment Sramik Karmachari Oikya Parishad (GSKOP), an alliance of 20 worker associations, on Friday demanded the payment of wages and Eid bonus by May 10. In a statement, GSKOP joint coordinators -- Abdul Wahed and Karmul Ahsan— alleged that over 30 percent factories did not pay Eid bonus (festival allowance) while more than 75 percent factories are yet to disburse wages for the month of April, though only 5-6 days are left for the Eid-ul Fitr. They said even though the RMG workers kept apparel factories operational risking their lives amid the Covid-19 pandemic, ‘intelligence reports’ indicate many factories are unlikely to pay the wages and allowances before the Eid. Also read: Celebrate Eid where you are: PM Hasina They demanded the payment of wages of April and a basic wage of one month as Eid festival allowance by Monday next (May 10). The GSKOP leaders also demanded the announcement of at least a seven-day alternative leave for the apparel factory workers when the corona infection will become control. They said the export earning was US$ 3.13 billion alone last month, but many apparel workers still do not know whether they would be able to celebrate the Eid receiving wages and allowances. The RMG export earning was US$ 27.95 billion in the 2019-20 fiscal year and US$ 18.40 billion in the first seven months (July-January) of the current fiscal year of 2020-21, according to statistics provided by GSKOP. Also read: Offer Eid-ul-Fitr prayer at mosques: Govt The factory owners earlier took loans of Tk 10,500 crore at nominal interest rate from the stimulus fund for the payment of wages and allowances. This time, they sought loans of Tk 10,000 crore again for the payment of workers’ wages and allowances ahead of this Eid, the GSKOP leaders claimed. This is not true that the factories do not have the capacity to disburse wages and allowances of one-two months though they run business for over 40 years availing of all sorts of facilities from the State, they added.

State Minister for Labour and Employment Begum Monnujan Sufian on Wednesday urged all employers to clear the salaries and Eid-ul-Azha bonuses of their employees by July 25.

Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) on Sunday urged the owners of all media outlets to provide the journalists with salaries and Eid bonuses by Ramandan 26 (May 20).