Newspapers reported that workers of nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jashore continued their fast-unto-death programmes for the second consecutive day on Monday for their 11-point demand, including implementation of the wage commission and payment of regular wages. About 50,000 workers of Star, Platinum, Crescent, Alim, Eastern, Daulatpur and Khalishpur jute mills in Khulna and JJI and Carpeting jute mills in Jashore took position in front of the mills and also staged demonstrations. Earlier, the workers of nine state-owned jute mills had gone on work abstention and observed fast-unto-death from December 10 to December 13. At that time Abdur Sattar, 55, a worker of Platinum Jute Mills, died. The condition of jute mills is not so good. Especially, the state-owned jute mills are facing tremendous problems riddled with excessive labourers, a slump in exports, institutional incapacity and corruption. Corruption and mismanagement in buying raw jute have been major reasons for higher production cost of jute products.
What we see that Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) does not take sustainable policy to protect the sector. It buys raw jute during the peak harvesting season in July when one maund of jute sells at Tk 1,000 to Tk 1,200. BJMC buys raw jute in the off-season during October-November, when the same quantity of jute sells at Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200. There is another thing — they buy jute from the shippers and hoarders, not directly from the farmers. That means hundreds of crores of taka are wasted in simply purchasing raw jute. Needless to say, this happens because of inefficiency and corruption by a section of BJMC officials. We don’t understand why the government would release the funds for buying jute when the season is over.
Make the mills profitable by taking pragmatic policy and chopping of corruption.
