99 pc of garment factories clear salaries, Eid bonuses: BGMEA president

Almost all export garment factories registered with BGMEA have paid February wages and festival allowances, except a couple of units whose payments are still in process, the trade body president claimed.

"About 99.91 per cent of factories have paid wages for the month of February, while two units are in the process of disbursing payments," Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) president Mahmud Hasan Khan said on Wednesday.

Regarding Eid festival allowances, he said 99.81 per cent of factories have paid, with four factories yet to complete the process.

Despite no legal obligation, around 64.03 per cent of factories have also made advance partial wage payments for March, he said.

Mr Khan was speaking at a press briefing held on Wednesday at the BGMEA complex in Uttara.

The sector, Bangladesh’s largest export earner, is currently undergoing a challenging period marked by a global economic slowdown, geopolitical tensions, and intensified competition in international markets, he noted.

During the first eight months of the current fiscal year 2025-26, export earnings from the sector declined by 3.73 per cent, while the opening of back-to-back letters of credit for raw material imports fell by 6.79 per cent, the BGMEA president said.

Average garment unit prices also dropped by 1.76 per cent, he noted.

To reduce congestion on highways during the holiday rush, factories are staggering leave schedules by region.

Around half of the factories announced Eid holidays since Tuesday, with the remaining expected to follow by Thursday, said Mr Khan.

The BGMEA president requested transport operators to prioritise passenger safety during the Eid travel period and called on authorities to strengthen highway monitoring to prevent the unsafe practice of carrying passengers in goods vehicles.

Munni_fe@yahoo.com