3 more jute mills to be privatised
Production falls by 60pc in 6 state-owned mills in Khulna-Jessore
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation BJMC Chairman Ataharul Islam has alleged that corruption by CBA leaders is delaying full payment of gratuity to retrenched workers of closed Peoples Jute Mills.
Full payment of gratuity will be paid one weak after probing into corruption by CBA leaders, he said. But he did not clarify how CBA leaders did corruption in the full payment of gratuity.
The BJMC chairman yesterday visited three state-owned jute mills in Khulna amid tight security. He was accompanied by four other BJMC high officials.
Ataharul Islam, when asked, said that closed Peoples Jute Mills and Daulatpur Jute Mills would be privatised as per recommendation of Privatisation Board.
If privatised, the government will bear all financial liabilities of People Jute mills and Daulatpur Jute mills, he said.
The BJMC chairman cautioned that Alim Jute Mills would also meet the fate of Peoples Jute mills shortly. He blamed corruption and labour unrest for hampering production in Alim Jute Mills.
He said casual workers of state-owned mills were getting wages higher than those in private-owned mills. Any attempt to create chaos in this matter will be severely dealt with, he warned.
“I have come to Khulna to end deadlock in the jute mills and not to get locked in any controversy”, he said.
Meanwhile production in six state-owned jute mills of Khulna-Jessore industrial belt has decreased by about sixty per cent as over 5,000 casual workers have been on work stoppage since September 3 in demand for their arrear wages and other benefits including bonus and issuance of gate pass.
The six jute mills are Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills, Crescent Jute Mills, Star Jute Mills, Carpeting Jute Mills and Eastern Jute Mills.
Convenor of Khulna-Jessore regional unit of casual jute mill workers' association Shahidul Islam said in a press statement yesterday that they would not join work at Tk 90 instead of Tk 165 as daily wages.
Work stoppage will continue until our two demands are fully met, Shahidul Islam said in the statement.
He alleged that casual workers of state-owned jute mills were being deprived of their legitimate right of getting daily wages on government holidays.
“We are being branded by BJMC as daily basis workers in total violation of labour law”, the statement said.
He further alleged that authorities of the six jute mills had threatened to implicate labour leaders in criminal cases for stopping work.
Casual workers want BJMC chairman to intervene in the matter to meet the demands, the statement said.
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