BGMEA President’s Statement: Wages and Bonuses Paid in Nearly All Factories

Mahmud Hasan Khan, President of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), has reported that nearly all member factories have fulfilled their wage and bonus obligations for February. According to his statement, 99.91 per cent of BGMEA-affiliated factories paid their workers’ salaries on time, while 99.81 per cent disbursed Eid bonuses. In addition, despite no legal obligation, 64.3 per cent of factories provided partial advance salaries for March.

These figures were disclosed during a press conference held at the BGMEA headquarters in North Dhaka on Wednesday. Present at the event were senior BGMEA officials including Senior Vice President Inamul Haque Khan, Vice President (Finance) Mizanur Rahman, Vice Presidents Vidiya Amrit Khan and Md. Shihab Uddoja Chowdhury, along with a host of directors and committee chairpersons, including Shah Raiid Chowdhury, Faisal Samad, Nafis-ud-Doula, Arifur Rahman Majumdar, Sheikh Hossain Mohammad Mostafiz, Kazi Mizanur Rahman, Jowarder Mohammad Hosne Komar Alam, A.B.M. Samsuddin, Dr. Rashid Ahmed Hossaini, Rumana Rashid, Mohammad Sohel, Samiha Azim, as well as Masud Kabir, Chairman of the Public Relations & Promotion Committee, and Mozammel Haque Bhuiyan, Chairman of the One Stop Cell.

Mahmud Hasan Khan noted that only two factories have pending February wages and four factories have pending Eid bonuses, which are currently being processed. He further explained that to reduce congestion on major highways, factories are implementing phased, region-based leave schedules for workers.

He also addressed the current challenges facing Bangladesh’s garment sector in the 2025–26 fiscal year. Global economic slowdown, geopolitical instability, and rising international competition are exerting simultaneous pressures on the industry. In the first eight months of the fiscal year, export earnings declined by 3.73 per cent. The issuance of back-to-back letters of credit for raw material imports fell by 6.79 per cent, and the average unit price of garments decreased by 1.76 per cent. Additional complications have arisen from fluctuations in the international energy market, rising transportation costs, and uncertainties in the global supply chain.

Despite these challenges, factory owners, in many cases using personal funds, have ensured that workers received their salaries and Eid bonuses. According to BGMEA data and intelligence reports, a small number of factories faced significant financial constraints. The association coordinated with factory owners, banks, and labour federations to ensure timely wage and bonus payments.

Mahmud Hasan Khan concluded by affirming that there is no BGMEA-registered factory where unresolved issues exist regarding February salaries.

Summary of Wages and Bonuses