About 2.5 million workers do not get any wage or bonus in the Eid-ul-Fitr, which is likely to be celebrated on Sunday based on sighted the moon.

“Half of the garment workers are yet to receive salaries for the month of April. So workers are staging demonstrations for salaries and bonuses every day in Gazipur, Ashulia and Savar.,” Nazma Akhter, a garment worker leader told Business Mirror.

Of the 7,602 apparel factories across the country, only 3,175 factories — paid April’s salaries until Monday last, according different garment workers organization.

“Though the apparel industries received loans under Tk 5,000 crore stimulus package for export-oriented industries, half of the member factories of BGMEA and BKMEA are yet to pay workers’ wages and allowances. On the other hand, they are passing the blame on to banks,” Nazma added.

Other than export oriented factories half of other industries did not pay April-May salary or Eid bonus in this year on the backdrop of Covid-19 pandemic which forced factory operation closed.

“Most of the workers in other sectors are employed on a contractual basis. Therefore, these workers don’t get salaries if there is no work. When regular salaries are not provided, chances are very slim they will get Eid bonuses,” Amirul Islam, a lawyer on labour law said.

“There are around 1.2 crore officially-registered workers employed in 42 sectors. But workers those are not registered with any government agency are more than 5 million,” a high official of the labour and employment ministry told Business Mirror.

Workers of a number of garment factories in the capital’s Mirpur area demonstrated, demanding their due salaries, overtime bills for February-March and Eid bonuses. The factories include MBM Garments Ltd, Lord Star Fashion Ltd, Dreamx Wear Ltd, Soroj Garments Ltd, Risal Garments Ltd, Jaki Garments Ltd, Vision Garments (pvt) Ltd, For U Clothing Ltd, Fashion 2000 Ltd, Daina Garments Ltd, Sentex Textile Ltd, Sentex Apparels Ltd, Hamim Apparels Ltd, Chittagong Fashion Ltd, and Power Vantage Wear Ltd.

Sources also said, of the 1,882 BGMEA member factories; 991 factories have paid workers’ salaries. On the other hand, out of a total 1,101 BKMEA members, only 388 factories paid salaries. A total of 198 organisations among 389 members of Bangladesh Textile Mills Association have paid salaries. Among the other 3,866 factories, 2,572 haven’t paid salaries to their workers.

A total of 2,200 factories applied to the BB for loans worth Tk 3,250 crore through 46 banks. Of the applicants, 1,615 are BGMEA members and 550 BKMEA members. The remaining 35 factories are based in Export Processing Zones (EPZs). Against the loan applications, the central bank on May 3 released Tk 2,000 crore to the banks from the stimulus package.

Sirajul Islam Rony, president of the Bangladesh National Garment Workers Employees League, said many factories are not complying with the decision to pay workers 50 percent of their basic salaries as an Eid bonus. Most of the medium-size factories and those working on sub-contract have already informed their workers that they won’t be able to provide Eid bonuses, prompting the workers to vandalism in capital’s Mirpur area, he added.