About 130 factories except those located in the Dhaka metropolis did not pay any wage for the month of June until Tuesday, according to official data. Out of the 130 factories, 62 are members of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), nine are associated with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) and seven are affiliated with the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA). The remaining 52 are non-RMG (readymade garment) factories, according to data available with the Industrial Police (IP). Those units are located in five zones under the purview of the IP at Ashulia of Dhaka and in Gazipur, Narayanganj, Chattogram and Mymensingh. “The wages of a worker shall be paid before the expiry of the seventh working day following the last day of the wage period in respect of which the wage is payable,” states the labour law. Besides, the IP has prepared a list of 328 factories including textile and garment units where labour unrest might take place over payment of wages and other allowances ahead of Eid. IP has also categorised the factories as A meaning highly risky, B medium and C less risky, based on the possible risks of labour unrest ahead of Eid-ul-Azha. It put about 77, 18 and four factories of the BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA members respectively into the A category, which are most vulnerable to labour unrest, according to its officials. A total of 3,536 RMG and 3,904 non-RMG factories are under the purview of the IP, according to them. When asked, an IP official said they were closely monitoring the units and holding meetings with factory authorities on wage payment and avoiding any untoward incident ahead of Eid. They also sent the list to related trade bodies. BGMEA president Dr Rubana Huq said the trade body was also monitoring the situation deploying their teams. “We have a list of 150 factories. 46 of them are critical, according to our own analysis. However, seven are under serious observation,” she said. She said most of the factories paid wages to their workers for June but apparently around 63 factories could not pay the wages because of financial problems. Labour leaders, however, claimed that more than 100 garment factories, mostly small in size, were yet to pay wages for the month of June.
