Labour and Employment Minister Ariful Haque Choudhury has directed factory owners to clear all outstanding wages and festival bonuses of workers before the upcoming Eid al-Fitr holidays.
The directive came during a high-level meeting held at the minister’s official residence office on Bailey Road in Dhaka on Saturday.
The meeting focused on measures to prevent labour unrest in both the ready-made garment (RMG) and non-RMG sectors.
During the meeting, the minister said lists of vulnerable factories across different parliamentary constituencies would be prepared and shared with members of parliament.
MPs will then engage directly with factory authorities to ensure prompt payment of outstanding wages and bonuses.
He also instructed officials to contact banks; including United Commercial Bank Limited, Trust Bank Limited and Premier Bank Limited, which were reportedly delaying loan disbursements despite directives from Bangladesh Bank, in order to facilitate quicker financial support for factories.
The minister warned that certain labour leaders attempting to create instability in the industrial sector by unnecessarily provoking workers should be closely monitored by local MPs and the administration.
He further directed authorities to prepare a list of absconding factory owners and their establishments to help prevent any untoward incidents at those factories.
Assuring government support, Choudhury said officials and employees of the Ministry of Labour and Employment are ready to provide necessary assistance and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to safeguarding workers’ interests.
Prime Minister’s Adviser Mahdi Amin, who attended the meeting, said the prime minister had instructed authorities to maintain strict monitoring to resolve workers’ problems.
He added that the government would take initiatives to reopen closed factories on a priority basis within 180 days of assuming office.
Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) President Mahmud Hasan Khan said that out of 2,127 operational factories in Dhaka and Chattogram, 1,964 factories—or 92.34 percent—had paid February salaries, while 1,535 factories, or 72.17 percent, had already paid Eid bonuses.
He noted that paying March salaries before Eid is not mandatory, though factories with sufficient financial capacity may choose to do so.
Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) President Mohammad Hatem said that among the country’s 834 factories, 512 had paid February salaries and 604 had paid Eid bonuses.
He expressed hope that major labour unrest could be avoided as most factories had already cleared their dues.
Labour and Employment Secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafdar suggested establishing an emergency fund as a long-term solution to wage and bonus-related disputes.
The meeting was also attended by several lawmakers, including Dewan Md Salauddin (Dhaka-19), Md Tamiz Uddin (Dhaka-20), Md Mujibur Rahman (Gazipur-1), M Manjurul Karim Rony (Gazipur-2), SM Rafiqul Islam (Gazipur-3) and Fazlul Haque Milon (Gazipur-5), along with senior government officials.
