3,745 factories yet to pay festival allowances: Industrial Police
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About 37 per cent or 3,745 factories under the jurisdiction of the Industrial Police (IP) located in eight industrial zones across the country are yet to pay festival allowances until Sunday, despite the government’s instruction to do the same by May 21.
Besides, more than 535 factories, including 155 textile and garment units, did not pay wages for the month of April, a day before Eid-ul-Azha holiday starts, according to IP data.
According to the Industrial Police, some 10,238 factories in eight industrial zones - Ashulia, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Cumilla, and Sylhet - are in operation under its jurisdiction, except for the Dhaka Metropolitan City.
Out of them, some 3,745 factories - 1,126 textile and readymade garment (RMG) units and the rest 2,619 non-RMG ones - did not pay festival allowance until Thursday, the IP data showed.
The festival allowance non-payment rate is higher in Gazipur, as 1,490 factories in that industrial zone did not pay until Sunday, followed by 1,202 in Narayanganj, 339 in Ashulia and 311 in Chattogram.
Over 34 per cent or 619 factories out of 1,790 listed with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), 275 units or 38.84 per cent out of 708 registered with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and 216 Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) members out of 382 are yet to pay festival allowance until Sunday, according to IP data.
16 factories under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) did not pay festival allowance until Sunday, the IP data showed.
Earlier on May 14, Labour Minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury, in a meeting, directed all factory owners to pay festival allowance by May 21 and make monthly wage payments timely in line with the labour law to avert any untoward situation.
During the meeting, labour leaders also sought the government's intervention against the factory authorities that were yet to pay the dues and monthly wages on time.
Following the factory owners' demand, the government recently released Tk 15 billion in cash incentives - the fourth tranche of export subsidies for the country's 43 export-oriented sectors for the fiscal year of 2025-26.
The cash incentive programme continues to cover key export-oriented sectors, including ready-made garments, frozen shrimp and fish, leather goods, and jute products, ranging from 0.30 per cent to 10 per cent for various categories of exportable goods.