BJMC employees unpaid since March

Business Report:

The Ministry of Textiles and Jute (MoTJ) has requested Tk 941 million from the Ministry of Finance to pay eight months of overdue salaries for officials and employees of the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC).

The appeal comes after months of financial distress for more than 2,600 workers who have gone without pay since March 2025. These employees are responsible for maintaining BJMC’s state-owned assets and supporting the ongoing transition of jute mills to private management.
Officials said the prolonged non-payment has left many employees struggling to meet daily expenses, prompting the MoTJ to seek urgent financial support from the Finance Division. In a recent letter, the ministry requested the immediate release of the funds to clear salary and allowance arrears for 2,634 BJMC staff members, including 1,122 officers and 1,512 employees-some of whom are on post-retirement leave. The unpaid wages cover the period from March to October 2025. Earlier, the government had cleared a 10-month salary backlog, covering May 2024 to February 2025, after shutting down the state-run jute mills and shifting operations to private management. However, due to ongoing cash flow problems, payments have stalled once again. Although Tk 240 million was released earlier this year to pay salaries for January and February, it was not enough to prevent the current crisis.