Demand For Arrear Dues
Jute workers snap power, water lines of officials' quarters
Self-immolation by 15 on Sept 15
Angry jute workers yesterday disconnected electricity and water supply lines of administrative buildings and officials' quarters of state-owned Crescent Jute Mill, Star Jute Mill and Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills to press their eight-point demand including payment of arrear wages.
The lines will remain snapped till their demands are met.
The workers will bring out a procession wearing shrouds at Khalishpur today as part of their week-long agitation programme announced at a big rally held there on Friday.
Sweepers and garden keepers also stopped work at officials' quarters of the three jute mills at the instruction of Khulna regional unit of Jute Mill Workers' Development Committee (JMWDC).
JMWDC Convener Gazi Masum said jute workers were compelled to go for tough programmes. Fifteen workers will go for self immolation on September 15 if BJMC authorities do not meet their demands, he said.
Masum appealed to security forces not to go into any action against the agitating workers, saying their programme is peaceful. Any action will spark clashes that will confound the situation, he said.
Workers of the three mills however joined duties after disconnecting the lines, he said.
Security measures were stepped up in and around the three mills yesterday as panic gripped families of project directors and other officials.
Gazi Masum also warned Power Development Board (PDB) officials that any move to restore power supply lines by them will be resisted.
The eight-point demand include full payment of all arrears by September 14, allocation of sufficient fund for buying raw jute, increase in dearness allowance to cope with price hike of essentials, appointment of casual workers as permanent staff, payment of overtime for work for more than eight hours, probe into property of officials and employees of state-owned jute mills and arrest of corrupt officials and CBA leaders.
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