90% RMG units paid festival bonus so far: BGMEA

As of today, some 90 per cent of the garment factories have already paid the festival bonus and 98.84 per cent cleared the salary of March, according to data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).

Moreover, some 82.19 per cent of the garment units have paid the partial salary of April, BGMEA President Faruque Hassan told The Daily Star.

He said all the factories may clear the payment by tomorrow or day after tomorrow as many of the factories will continue working up to April 21 to ensure timely shipment of goods.

Primarily, it was thought that many factories will face challenges in paying the workers timely as the factories had fewer work orders from the international clothing retailers and brands because of the severe fallouts of the Russia Ukraine war, Hassan said.

So far, the salary payment situation is good, he said.

Only a few of the factories were facing troubles but the problem is solved in consultation with the banks concerned for approving loan in the shortest possible time to pay the workers, the BGMEA president said.

Hassan already instructed the factory owners to manage staggered holidays for the workers to ensure smooth travel to their village homes and coming back to their workplaces after enjoying the holidays with their near and dear ones.