Taking a tip from intelligence reports, the government Tuesday asked the garment manufacturers to pay workers wages and festival allowance by July 26 to avert any unwanted situation.
The labour ministry held a meeting with the labour leaders and apparel manufacturers on the matters of workers' wages and festival allowance following some reports, including those from the Industrial Police and intelligence agencies that apprehended unrest in case of non-payment.
"Apparel makers have promised that they will pay the wages and festival allowance by July 26," State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu told reporters after the meeting.
The government would take steps against factories that would fail to keep the promise, he warned.
The government formed a cell to monitor the payments by the factory owners, the state minister said. In the event of failure to pay the dues anyone can inform the cell. The contact numbers are: Dhaka-- 9555302, Narayanganj-01712134534, Gazipur-01670140816 and Chittagong-1724264.
He also urged transport operators and workers to ensure that garment workers were not forced to pay increased fares while going home for the Eid holiday.
Md Hatem, first vice-president of Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), said almost all factories had paid wages for the month of June while some of them also had already paid festival allowance.
"Festival allowance will be disbursed according to the owners' capability," Mr Hatem said. The wages for the month of July would depend on the mutual understanding between the owners and the workers, he added.
However, the union leaders demanded at least half a month's wages for July, as the Eid commences close by the month-end.
Pay RMG workers by July 26, govt asks owners
FE Report | Published: July 16, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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