High alert in Khalishpur as workers agitate for arrears

The mill authorities said they need Tk 12 crore to pay 32 weeks' arrears. The mill is closed.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) are also keeping an eye on the situation there to go into action whenever called, sources said.

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Over 5,000 workers and employees of the mill held a rally at Khalishpur yesterday. Speakers at the rally warned security forces of severe consequence in case of any action against workers agitating for wages and salaries.

They said their families were hungry and they are agitating for wages to buy food.

They also urged the DGM not to leave Khulna and try to resume production until payment of arrear wages and salaries are amade.

Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) Commissioner Khan Saeed Hasan told this correspondent that any violence would be severely dealt with if situation demands.

On Sunday, workers and employees laid a siege to the administrative building at the mill and confined 40 officials including the Deputy General Manager (DGM) to their offices for about ten houses from 1-30 pm. The workers had locked the offices.

The workers released all but DGM Mujibar Mallick from confinement at 12:30 am. The DGM was released at noon yesterday following his commitment that he would convince the government for allocation of funds for payment of arrears wages and salaries.

Agitated workers also put up barricades on four entry points to the mill and torched some unused wooden electricity poles. They snapped power connection to the administrative building, which was not restored till 5:30 pm yesterday.

The DGM said police tried to arrest CBA (collective bargaining agent) leaders of the jute mill but they were absconding.

On the other hand, workers alleged that payment of their arrears wages has been stopped following a secret negotiation between the management and the CBA leaders.