Jute workers rough up official for arrears

28 July 2009, 17:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

The workers of People's Jute Mills, agitating for payment of arrears, yesterday roughed up an official as he reportedly made an attempt to leave his office without settling the issue. The angry workers also confined the official, Ram Chandra Shanyashi, project coordinator of the jute mills, to his room for 45 minutes from 10:45am. Later, police and local Awami League leaders rescued him. Over 2,000 workers were continuing their agitation as of filing of this report at 6:30pm yesterday demanding payment of their arrears including festival bonus before handing over of the jute mills to BJMC reportedly on August 1. The management of People's Jute Mills has refused to make payment of arrears by July 31 showing fund shortage and financial loss of the mills as the reasons. Police have been deployed inside the mills so that the workers cannot resort to further violence. Peace will not prevail until and unless the management pays our arrears and returns spare parts of important machines looted after lease holder Kazi Firms decided to hand over the unit to BJMC on the pretext of it being a losing concern, said CBA President Abdur Rahman. There is an allegation from workers that the authorities of the mills have looted some important and valuable spare parts of machines on the eve of handing over the jute unit to BJMC. Ram Chandra Shanyashi, however, denied the allegation. BJMC closed down Peoples Jute mills July 11, 2007, failing to run it with huge financial liabilities of over Tk 144 crore including bank loans and throwing over 8,000 workers and employees out of Jobs. Established in 1952, the jute mills went into commercial operation from 1954. It was nationalised like other mills of the country in 1973. The jute mill was laid off several times since August 8, 2003 due to severe financial crisis and also crisis of raw jute. On July 2 last year, BJMC leased out the mills to Kazi Firms on condition of payment of Tk 52 lakh per month.