25% workers paid wages from government’s coronavirus relief package

Factories and industries have begun paying workers their salaries for the month of April from the government’s Tk 50 billion coronavirus relief package.

BGMEA officials said 25 percent of the factories that applied until Sunday paid up their workers while the rest will clear payment by this week.

According to the rules of the package, banks are releasing these loans with two percent in service charge.

The central bank has released Tk 27 billion to meet the demands of the banks. The rest of the money will be disbursed ‘soon’, Bangladesh Bank Executive Director Serajul Islam told bdnews24.com.

The apparel factories have applied for a little more than Tk 30 billion to pay workers for the month of April. New applications need to be made for the salaries of May and June, he said.

Rubana Huq, the chief of the apparel exporters’ lobby BGMEA, said the banks were delaying the release of the funds, leading to the delay in payments.

“Hopefully, all workers will get their salary for the month of April by this week,” she said.

The workers are getting paid through mobile banking, Rubana said.

A total of 1,615 organisations among 2,274 members of BGMEA have applied for loans from the relief package. BGMEA has certified all their applications.

More than 800 BKMEA member organisations applied for the credit as well.