B Mirror Report: The Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Monday said 94.7 percent of operational garment factories in Dhaka and Chattogram have paid Eid bonuses to workers ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, bringing relief to thousands of employees in the sector.

In a statement, BGMEA said that out of 2,133 operational garment factories in Dhaka and Chattogram, a total of 2,021 factories have already disbursed Eid bonuses.

Among the factories, 1,794 are located in Dhaka and 340 in Chattogram.

According to the industry body, 2,117 factories or 99.20 percent have paid April salaries. Of them, 1,783 factories are in Dhaka while 334 are in Chattogram.

BGMEA also said 1,709 factories in Dhaka and 312 in Chattogram have paid Eid bonuses, accounting for 94.70 percent of the total operational factories.

In addition, 767 factories, or 35.94 percent, have paid advance salaries for May to workers ahead of the Eid holidays.

The association further said workers from 108 garment factories left Dhaka on May 24 to celebrate Eid with their families in their hometowns.

Workers from another 664 factories are expected to leave the capital on May 25, followed by employees from 771 factories on May 26 and 251 factories on May 27, according to BGMEA data.