More than 94 percent of active ready-made garment factories in Dhaka and Chattogram have paid Eid-ul-Azha bonuses to workers ahead of the festival, according to a summary report released by the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) on Monday.
The report, prepared with data as of May 23, covers a total of 2,134 operational factories across the two zones.
Of these, 2,133 factories were found active, of which 2,117 or 99.20 percent have cleared April wages, while 2,021 factories, representing 94.70 percent, have disbursed Eid bonuses.
Additionally, 767 factories, or 35.94 percent, have already paid an advance on May salaries.
In the Dhaka zone, out of 1,984 active factories, 1,983 (99.95%) paid March wages and 1,983 (99.39%) cleared April salaries. A total of 1,909 factories (95.98%) have paid Eid bonuses, while 690 factories (37.58%) have provided advance wages for May.
In Chattogram, all 380 active factories (100%) paid March salaries. Of these, 334 (98.24%) cleared April wages, 352 (91.76%) paid Eid bonuses, and 97 factories (28.53%) have paid advance wages for May.
BGMEA data also outlines a staggered worker dispersal plan from Dhaka: 108 factories (6%) released workers on May 24; 664 (37%) on May 25; 771 (43%) are set to do so on May 26; and the remaining 251 factories (14%) on May 27.