Only a quarter of readymade garment factories registered with the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) had paid festival allowances by March 20, just a day before the government’s deadline for festival allowances payments, industry sources said.

On March 12, the interim government directed all factory owners at a Tripartite Consultative Committee meeting to disburse festival allowances by the 20th of Ramadan.

It also advised them to consult with workers and determine whether March wages would be paid partially (for 15 days) or in full, depending on the factories’ financial capacity.

According to industry data, 64 out of 2,107 garment factories registered with the BGMEA had yet to pay February wages, while three had not cleared wages for January.

Meanwhile, the majority—1,582 factories or 75 per cent of BGMEA members—had not disbursed festival allowances as of Thursday.

Industrial Police data showed that 74.45 per cent, or 7,218 factories, including both garment and non-garment units under its jurisdiction, had paid February wages by Thursday.

However, the remaining 25.55 per cent, or 2,477 factories, had yet to do so.

Law enforcement agencies have identified 200 garment factories in various industrial zones as vulnerable to labour unrest due to the risk of failing to pay wages and festival allowances before Eid-ul-Fitr.

Among them, 128 factories are BGMEA members, 16 are affiliated with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and four are listed with the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA).

Additionally, nine units operate under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA), while the rest are not affiliated with any association, according to the data.