Many readymade garment factory workers have not been paid their wages within the promised deadline, which has already been crossed. At a meeting with the state minister for labour and employment, M Mujibul Haque, leaders of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufactures and Exporters Association (BKMEA) committed that factory authorities would pay workers’ wages within July 10 and festival allowances by July 14 before Eid.

Workers’ rights groups, however, stated that 20 per cent of RMG factory owners across the country did not pay wages to their workers as committed. The BGMEA, though, said that no complaint was received regarding the wage issue.

The president of the National Garment Workers Federation (NGWF), Amirul Haque Amin, has said that several factory owners were yet to pay wages and festival allowances. General secretary of the Garment Workers’ Trade Union Centre, KM Ruhul Amin stated, 25 per cent of factories had not yet paid their workers. He further mentioned that uncertainty over wages was seen in some factories, as authorities were yet to clear outstanding wages for the month of May.

Bangladesh Garment Workers Employees League president (BGWEL), Sirajul Islam Roni, on the other hand, said that more than 30 per cent of factories did not pay wages to their workers in time to meet their commitment. The BGMEA vice president Shahidullah Azim, however, claimed that most of the factory owners paid wages in time barring a few.