Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) yesterday claimed that 70% RMG manufacturers have paid their workers Eid bonus in accordance with the government’s deadline. The trade union leaders, however, claimed that only 20% factory owners have paid bonus within the time frame. Earlier, State Minister for Labour and Employment Md Mujibul Haque Chunnu asked the garment factory owners to make the payments to their workers by June 26. “We have conducted a survey over 445 RMG units to learn about the status of bonus payment within the government stipulated deadline, BGMEA vice-president Mahmud Hasan Khan Babu told the Dhaka Tribune. Of the surveyed factories, about 70% have paid their workers festival bonus by yesterday, said Hasan. While only six factories have been identified as incapable to pay within the deadline, but negotiation with financial institutions is on to resolve the issue to avert untoward incidents centring the payment of wages and bonus. “We have conducted a survey over 100 RMG factories located in Gazipur, Savar, Ashulia and Mirpur to know about the payment of bonus,” Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh Garment Workers’ Employee League, told the Dhaka Tribune. Only 20% of the surveyed factories paid bonus, but the number will increase as a good number of factories paid bonus today (Sunday), said Rony. If there is any untoward incident centring the delay payment of bonus and wages before Eid, the factory owners will be responsible for that, as they failed to pay within the government-set time frame, he warned.
