The government has directed all factory owners to disburse festival allowances by May 21 ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, one of the biggest religious festivals observed by Muslims.

Factory managements were also asked to consult workers and make decisions regarding the payment of May salaries if wages are to be cleared in advance before eid.

To ease traffic pressure during the holiday period, the authorities advised industrial units to arrange eid leave in phases.

The decisions were taken at the 95th meeting of the Tripartite Consultative Council (TCC) and the 24th TCC meeting on the ready-made garment (RMG) sector at CIRDAP in Dhaka on May 14.

Labour minister Ariful Haque Chowdhury briefed reporters on the outcomes of the meeting.

The meeting was chaired by labour secretary Md Abdur Rahman Tarafdar and attended by Bangladesh Employers’ Federation president Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, along with representatives from BGMEA, BKMEA and labour rights organisations.

Representatives of workers urged the government to take action against factories that have failed to clear overdue wages, warning that timely payment of salaries and festival bonuses is essential to maintain stability in industrial areas.

Labour rights groups also pressed for workers’ wages for May to be paid before the start of the eid holidays.

Data from the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) showed that, as of May 14, 95 factories in the Dhaka zone and 79 factories in Chattogram had not yet paid April wages out of 2,140 operational factories under the association.

In addition, three BGMEA-listed factories in Dhaka were still pending payment of March wages.