Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has instructed all industrial factories in the country to clear outstanding wages and festival bonuses for workers before the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holidays.
The directive was issued during a high-level meeting held on Saturday at the minister’s official residence on Bailey Road in the capital, where officials discussed measures to prevent labour unrest in both the RMG (Ready-Made Garments) and non-RMG sectors.
The minister said that lists of vulnerable factories across parliamentary constituencies would be prepared and shared with members of parliament, who would then engage directly with factory authorities to ensure timely payment of outstanding salaries and bonuses.
Officials were also instructed to coordinate with banks, including United Commercial Bank Limited, Trust Bank Limited and Premier Bank Limited, which have reportedly delayed loan disbursements despite guidance from Bangladesh Bank, to ensure factories receive prompt financial support.
The minister also urged monitoring of certain labour leaders who might provoke unrest unnecessarily, and called for a list of absconding factory owners and their establishments to prevent potential incidents.
Assuring full government support, he said that officials of the Ministry of Labour and Employment are ready to assist factories and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting workers’ rights.
The Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin, speaking at the meeting, noted that the Prime Minister has instructed authorities to maintain strict oversight to resolve workers’ issues and promised initiatives to reopen closed factories within 180 days of government formation.
According to Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan, of 2,127 operational factories in Dhaka and Chattogram, 1,964 factories (92.34 per cent) have already paid February salaries, while 1,535 factories (72.17 per cent) have disbursed Eid bonuses.
He added that payment of March salaries is optional, depending on factory capacity.
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Hatem said that out of 834 factories, 512 had paid February salaries and 604 had paid Eid bonuses, expressing optimism that major labour unrest would be avoided.
Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafdar suggested the creation of an emergency fund to provide a long-term solution for wage and bonus-related issues.
The meeting was attended by several lawmakers, including Dewan Md Salauddin, Md Tamiz Uddin, Md Mujibur Rahman, M Manjurul Karim Rony, SM Rafiqul Islam and Fazlul Haque Milon, along with senior government officials.
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