Khulna: The continuous strikes by the jute mill workers of the state owned jute mills of Jashore and Khulna region for 16 days demanding the fulfillment of their 9 point demand has slapped the loss of jute goods production worth Taka 16 crore.
The demand includes necessary allocation in jute sector, payment of arrear salaries and implementation of national wage and productivity award of 20125 and others. The workers of Khulna-Jashore zone mills have been on strike from last May 5.
The BJMC regional coordinator of Khulna told Barta24.com that the continuous strike has caused production loss of 1600 metric tons of jute goods in the state owned 9 mills worth Taka 16 crore. However the wages of workers, purchase of jute and production cost would have cost above Taka 20 crore.
On Tuesday(May 21) the district administration of Khulna and BJMC hold a meeting with the leaders of the Khulna –Jashore zone mills. The work abstention program in these mills has been suspended for seven days.
The joint convener of state owned CBA non-CBA Oikya Parishad Khalilur Rahman confirmed the strike withheld for seven days and added that it has been withheld on three conditions.
The conditions are the arrears of all workers has to be paid within next seven days, from tomorrow the selected workers shall have to be included in the wage commission list and all the workers shall have to be included in the wage commission list phase wise. The mills shall be made modernized and attention should be given so that the workers shall not require to go on strike for salary, the deputy commissioner will take necessary action in this regard.
The state owned mills shall not be transferred to private sectors. If the demands are not met within next seven days the workers will go on indefinite strike.
According to the information of the worker leaders, there are 13170 permanent workers in 9 state owned mills and the number of temporary workers is 17413. There are unsold jute goods in the mills of Taka 350 crore. The arrear salary of the workers is pending for 8 to 11 weeks and the employees are unpaid for three to four months. The amount of arrear is Taka 58 crore 70 lakh 50 thousand. The worker’s family is leading the life of unfed and half fed.
It is to be mentioned here that demanding arrear salary the workers of Crescent, Platinum, Khalishpur, Daulatpur, Star, Alim, Eastern, Carpeting and JJI are on strike from May 5.
The sources informed that the workers of the state owned mills may be paid before Eid ul Fitr.