Dinajpur (South) Correspondent :
The local workers of Barapukuria Coal Mine near Phulbari in Dinajpur observed sit-in programmme with their families in front of the mine gate from 11 am on Wednesday for two points demands.
As per the previously announced agitation program last Sunday, more than 500 agitating workers and their families have started a sit-in program at the mine gate under the banner of Barapukuria Coal Mine Workers and Employees Union.
The two demands are to allow home-based workers to participate in self-employment due to lockdowns during the Corona period and to pay arrears during the Corona period.
The agitating workers were all working under the CMC-XMC consortium, a Chinese coal mining company.
Rabiul Islam Robi, president of Barapukuria Coal Mine Workers and Employees Union, Abu Sufian, general secretary, Nur Islam, former general secretary, Ehsanul Haque Sohag, Ershad Ali, Abu Taher and others spoke at a rally in support of the demand.
Speakers at the rally said that since the inception of the mine, the agitating workers have been involved in the extraction of coal underground at a temperature of about 45 degrees Celsius. The Barapukuria coal mine was declared lockdown due to the corona virus. At that time the workers stayed in their respective houses following the hygiene rules. The lockdown was later lifted, but the workers were not returned to work. Similarly, their arrears were not paid. As a result, unemployed workers have been living a very inhuman life with their families for a long time.
Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited Managing Director (MD) Engineer. Kamarmanzzaman Khan said there are about a thousand workers working under the Chinese contractor. Of these, 450 to 500 workers are working due to corona. Workers who were given leave at that time are also now demanding wages. But the Chinese contractor has not yet made a decision on hiring workers, including salaries and allowances. However, if the situation is normal, they can be used again.
However, the mining authorities have already provided one-time financial assistance to the workers from Barapukuria Coal Mining Company Limited (BCMCL). They have been informed about the financial assistance for the upcoming Eid-ul-Fitr. If the decision is found, the workers will be given financial assistance.
Meanwhile, additional police have been deployed in the coal mine area since morning to ensure overall safety of the coal mine.
