The extent of various irregularities, including non-payment of wage and non-compliance of the government-announced wage structure and other rightful benefits, is much higher in the apparel factories, especially those are not members of BGMEA and BKMEA, sources and officials said.
They said majority of these units belong to small and medium categories and engaged in sub-contracting for big factories.
According to the Department of Inspection for Factories and Establishments (DIFE), about 800 factories are not members of any of the two apparel apex bodies, while industry insiders claimed that the number is much higher.
On the other hand, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) are reluctant to take responsibility of these units. Besides, there is no visible action by the government to bring them under a framework or regulation, they also said.
However, experts and labour leaders called upon both the apparel trade bodies and the government to take immediate measures to make the units compliant. Most of the units do sub-contracting, and the government should also strictly monitor the issue, they added.
DIFE under the ministry of labour has conducted a survey on 653 garment units in last April-June period. Out of the surveyed factories, 358 are members of BGMEA, 89 are members of BKMEA, while the remaining 206 are not affiliated with any of the two associations.
The survey revealed that 8 to 10 per cent of the factories, which are members of BGMEA and BKMEA, did not provide regular wage and overtime bills, while the rate is 27 per cent among the non-member factories.
About eight to ten per cent BGMEA/ BKMEA member factories did not follow the government-fixed wage structure, while 33 per cent of the non-member factories did not pay their workers according to the structure, it showed.
Only 42 per cent non-member units, out of the surveyed ones, provide appointment letters and identity cards to their workers, while only 34 per cent of them maintain service books. On the other hand, the trend varies from 76 to 81 per cent among the BGMEA and BKMEA member factories.
Workers of 44 per cent non-member factories get maternity leave and allowances, while the percentage is 78 to 84 among the BGMEA and BKMEA member units.
Some 57 per cent of the non-member manufacturing units did not provide individual safety equipments, 80 per cent did not maintain safety record book and safety board, while 78 per cent did not have any safety committee, the survey report revealed.
Inadequate fire safety measures was observed in 26 per cent factories that are not affiliated with either BGMEA or BKMEA, while insufficient electrical safety measures was found in 23 per cent of such units, the survey further showed.
When communicated, DIFE Inspector General Syed Ahmed agreed that performance of the non-member factories in terms of safety and other compliance measures as well as payment of wage and overtime is poor compared to that of the BGMEA and BKMEA member units.
"DIFE has already shared the list of such non-compliant units with the DCs, so that they can hold meetings with their owners to resolve the issues," he said.
Sources said DIFE prefers mutual dialogues to convince the owners, so that they become members of any of the two associations, as lengthy legal steps fail to bring immediate result in this regard.
Recently, Industrial Police has submitted a list of 506 garment factories that might fail to pay wage and other benefits to their workers ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr festival to the government authorities concerned, and most of these units are engaged in sub-contracting, according to sources.
BGMEA President Atiqul Islam said, "At least 13 to 15 agencies of the government give license for opening a garment factory, and so the government has to take their responsibility."
BGMEA does not give approval to these units, and these are not member of either BGMEA or BKMEA, he said denying taking their responsibility.
Sometimes, the member factories have to face untoward incidents for these non-member units. As labour unrest takes place in these factories due to non payment of wage and other benefits, while their neighbouring member factories also face its impact, he claimed.
"If necessary, the government should shut these units for the greater sake of the industry," he added.
However, Sirajul Islam Rony, president of Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, said majority of these units do sub-contracting for the big factories, which are members of either BGMEA or BKMEA.
"So BGMEA or BKMEA can't deny their responsibility, as their member factories provide work orders to these units," he said, demanding the government's strict monitoring to bring them under regulation.
Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem, additional research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue, said most of these non-member units are small and medium categories, and they do sub-contracting.
The CM they get from their supplier factories is not enough to meet the compliance issues. But it is not logical to shut them, rather they should be made compliant, he said.
"The supplier factories have to raise the CM rate for the non-member units, so that they can be compliant."
The supplier factories that are members of either BGMEA or BKMEA have to take the responsibility to ensure the compliance and other issues, as they produce their apparel products by the non-member units.
He also suggested the government to make clear who are responsible for ensuring all these issues in the units in the draft sub-contract policy, and bring both the local supplier factories and international buyers under its purview.
Irregularities rampant in non-member RMG units
Monira Munni | Published: July 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
Share if you like