More than 51 percent of factories, totaling 4849 establishments, spanning various industries such as textiles and garments nationwide, have yet to disburse wages for March.

This concerning trend excludes factories within the Dhaka Metropolitan area.

According to figures from the Industrial Police, the percentage of factories failing to pay festival allowances stands at 18.65 percent, comprising 1766 units out of 9469 factories, as of 5:00 pm on Monday.

Contrary to this, the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) reported that approximately 90 percent of its member factories have already settled workers’ wages, with almost all factories disbursing festival allowances.

Among the total 9469 factories under Industrial Police jurisdiction, 4620 factories have paid monthly wages for March, while 7703 factories have disbursed festival allowances until 5:00 pm, as indicated by the IP data.

These factories are distributed across six IP zones: Ashulia, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, and Khulna.

Of these, 920 garment factories registered with BGMEA, 435 units listed with the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), and 170 members of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association (BTMA) are yet to pay March wages.

Moreover, 76 units under the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA) and 18 jute mills have also not disbursed March wages, while 3230 non-RMG units listed by the IP remain unpaid.

Similarly, according to IP data, 181 BGMEA members, 144 BKMEA members, 26 BTMA mills, nine BEPZA units, 10 jute mills, and 1396 non-RMG units listed under the IP jurisdiction have not paid festival allowances.

An Industrial Police official noted that a considerable number of factories are expected to make payments on Tuesday.

Additionally, there are factories that have declared Eid holidays after making partial wage payments following discussions with their respective workers. However, around 100 factories listed with the IP are notorious for irregular wage and allowance payments.

BGMEA President S M Mannan Kochi highlighted that nearly 90 percent of their member factories have settled workers’ wages, with the remaining units expected to clear payments on Tuesday, except for two factories located in Mirpur area and Ashulia.