71 BGMEA member factories haven’t paid workers for May

As many as 71 factories registered with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) have not paid their workers for May.

The coronavirus pandemic has forced as many as 348 of its 2,274 members to shut factories, BGMEA said, reports bdnews24.com.

“Out of the rest, 1,855 paid the workers for the month of May until Friday.”

Most of the factories that could not pay are small ones, the BGMEA said.

It did not say how many work in these factories.

Not all the members of the garment exporters’ lobbying group could pay the workers for April either.

Monirul Alam Shuvo, a spokesman for the BGMEA, said 1,370 factories could apply for loans from the government’s coronavirus bailout package to pay the workers.

But many of them were considered ineligible for the funds.