Twelve owners of clothing factories have been prohibited from travelling by the government because they neglected to pay their employees’ salaries and incentives prior to the Eid vacations. M. Sakhawat Hossain, the labour and employment adviser, announced the decision during a press conference addressing the current labor situation.
The travel ban, enforced jointly by the home affairs and labor ministries, will be lifted if the factory owners settle their payments by 27th March. Hossain noted that workers from these factories have been staging demonstrations in recent days, demanding their due wages.
Of the 12 factories affected, seven were expected to pay their workers using funds from the Bangladesh Bank’s cash incentive program. The remaining five factory owners are also set to disburse salaries and bonuses, as banks have been instructed to provide loans to assist them.
According to Md. Anwar Hossain, administrator of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, the Bangladesh Bank has already allocated Taka 2,250 crore from the cash incentive fund to support garment exporters in meeting their payroll obligations ahead of Eid. He reported that over 99 per cent of factories have successfully paid February salaries, and more than 95 per cent have disbursed bonuses.
Hossain expressed optimism that nearly all factories would clear February salaries, half of March’s salaries, and Eid bonuses by the deadline. He added that only three to four factories might encounter difficulties in meeting the March payroll.
The labor and employment adviser reiterated that 99.99 per cent of factories had paid February salaries by the 20th of Ramadan, highlighting the Government’s commitment to ensuring timely payments to workers in the garment industry.
