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Nearly half of the industrial units have failed to meet the government deadline for payment of wages for May, said the Industrial Police (IP).
About 3,022 industrial units have paid workers salaries for the month of May, said Abdus Salam, additional inspector general of the IP.
Some 1,566 have paid festival allowances, he added.
The labour ministry instructed the garment owners to pay the wages for May by June 10 and festival allowances by June 14 respectively.
But rights organisations demanded that the workers be paid wages for May and festival allowances by June 10.
Mr Salam said a total of 7,557 industrial units, including jute, RMG (ready-made garment), textile and re-rolling mills, are under their purview.
Earlier, the IP listed 442 factories, including textile and RMG units, across the country as 'vulnerable' to labour unrest over wage and bonus payments.
"We sent the lists to BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA so they can take steps to avert any untoward incident in the industrial units before Eid," Mr Salam told the FE.
The IP remains alert to any labour unrest. People will suffer once any unrest brews in the industries close to highways," the official added.
BGMEA Vice-president Mohammed Nasir, however, claimed the majority of their member factories have paid wages for the month of May.
National Garment Workers Employees League President Sirajul Islam Rony said the number of untoward incidents over non-payment of wages has dropped in recent years.
But there are still a good number of factories where workers are yet to get their monthly wages and festival allowances, he added.
Mr Rony requested the government to fix an amount equal to the basic pay as festival allowance so that all workers get the same amount.