One third of the factories, including textile and ready-made garment (RMG) units, across the country under the jurisdiction of the Industrial Police (IP) paid festival allowance until Monday.
IP data shows 3,151 out of 9,176 units located in Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram, Narayanganj, Mymensingh, Khulna, Sylhet and Cumilla made the disbursements.
About 788 BGMEA (Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association), 188 BKMEA (Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association), 129 BTMA (Bangladesh Textile Mills Association) and 231 BEPZA (Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority) members paid bonus.
Nineteen out of 83 jute mills at eight industrial zones under the IP have paid festival allowance while 4,310 out of 6,107 non-RMG factories have still to pay.
Only 11.17 per cent or 1,025 factories have paid 15 days' wage for the month of April, the IP further says.
On the other hand, 102 factories did not pay March wages until Monday.
On April 11, state minister for labour Monnujan Sufian asked factory owners and authorities of the state-owned industries to pay allowances, wages and other dues to workers before the start of Eid-ul-Fitr holidays.
She also instructed the owners to pay at least 15 days' wages of April to workers before Eid in case they fail to make the full month's payment.
Ms Sufian asked the factories to follow government holidays while announcing their own Eid holidays.
Companies might adjust the holiday period depending on shipment time for export goods and based on a consensus with workers, she maintained.
Meantime, labour unrest over payment of wage dues, festival allowance and Eid holidays has taken place in the past couple of days ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr.
On Monday, some 300 workers of Cotton Textile and Apparel Ltd at Mirpur 11 protested non-payment of their three months' wages and festival allowance.
They accused the factory authorities of shutting the unit without clearing dues and other allowances.
On the other hand, over 500 workers of Intraco Design Ltd and Intraco Fashion Ltd blocked Uttara-Azampur road around 12 noon over non-payment of two months wages and festival allowance.
Workers and labour leaders alleged that police threw teargas and rubber bullet at the gathering that injured about 50 workers.
munni_fe@yahoo.com