Staff Reporter :
At least 10 demonstrators were hospitalised when state-owned jute mill workers in Khulna, Jashore, and Narsingdi continued their hunger strike for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The ailing workers have been taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in the morning, report our district correspondents.
Workers of 24 state-owned jute mills out of the 26 under the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) started the strike on Tuesday afternoon. The workers and their dependants are still carrying on with the strike under the banner of CBA-Non CBA Sangram Parishad.
In Khulna and Jashore, several workers from nine state-owned jute mills Star, Platinum, Crescent, Alum, Eastern, Carpeting and six others — fell sick after almost 21 hours of starvation, and were administered intravenous saline.
Examining the ailing workers, the healthcare worker of Khalishpur Jute Mills, Shyamoli Mandal, said, “The workers are also suffering from low blood pressure.
Platinum Jute Mills CBA President Shahana Sharmin said, “The workers hoped that they would come to a resolution during the meeting
with the chairman. However, they were disappointed again. As a result, they began a hunger strike.”
Jashore Jute Industries (JJI) Labour Union Treasurer Israil Sarder said that the jute mill workers of Jessore are also continuing the protest.
In Narsingdi, thousands of jute mills workers, including workers of UMC Jute Mills, continued hunger strike as well.
All activities in the jute mills have come to a standstill due to the protests. No jute laden trucks or any jute mill premises officials were allowed to enter the mills permiscs on Wednesday.
On the other hand, traffic movement has been severely hindered as workers have taken position near the main gate of the UMC jute mills.
Hafiza Begum said that she had not eaten anything since Tuesday morning. Now, her legs have stopped supporting her.
Workers’ leader Sohrab Hossain said, “Most of the labourers have fallen ill, and many of them were provided with saline. More saline have been brought in.”
Workers’ union leaders during the strike said that non-payment of wages had led them to destitution, therefore, they were protesting to press home their 11-point demand.
Their demands, include implementation of the National Wage Commission, payment of all weekly wages, adequate budgetary allocation for the jute sector and ensuring sale of jute products, payment of the outstanding provident fund and gratuity to retired workers and settlement of insurance benefits to the families of the deceased workers, recruitment of workers, regularization of temporary workers, reinstatement of sacked workers, and balancing, modernizing, rehabilitating, and expanding the jute mills for better productivity.
At least 10 demonstrators were hospitalised when state-owned jute mill workers in Khulna, Jashore, and Narsingdi continued their hunger strike for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.
The ailing workers have been taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital in the morning, report our district correspondents.
Workers of 24 state-owned jute mills out of the 26 under the Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) started the strike on Tuesday afternoon. The workers and their dependants are still carrying on with the strike under the banner of CBA-Non CBA Sangram Parishad.
In Khulna and Jashore, several workers from nine state-owned jute mills Star, Platinum, Crescent, Alum, Eastern, Carpeting and six others — fell sick after almost 21 hours of starvation, and were administered intravenous saline.
Examining the ailing workers, the healthcare worker of Khalishpur Jute Mills, Shyamoli Mandal, said, “The workers are also suffering from low blood pressure.
Platinum Jute Mills CBA President Shahana Sharmin said, “The workers hoped that they would come to a resolution during the meeting
with the chairman. However, they were disappointed again. As a result, they began a hunger strike.”
Jashore Jute Industries (JJI) Labour Union Treasurer Israil Sarder said that the jute mill workers of Jessore are also continuing the protest.
In Narsingdi, thousands of jute mills workers, including workers of UMC Jute Mills, continued hunger strike as well.
All activities in the jute mills have come to a standstill due to the protests. No jute laden trucks or any jute mill premises officials were allowed to enter the mills permiscs on Wednesday.
On the other hand, traffic movement has been severely hindered as workers have taken position near the main gate of the UMC jute mills.
Hafiza Begum said that she had not eaten anything since Tuesday morning. Now, her legs have stopped supporting her.
Workers’ leader Sohrab Hossain said, “Most of the labourers have fallen ill, and many of them were provided with saline. More saline have been brought in.”
Workers’ union leaders during the strike said that non-payment of wages had led them to destitution, therefore, they were protesting to press home their 11-point demand.
Their demands, include implementation of the National Wage Commission, payment of all weekly wages, adequate budgetary allocation for the jute sector and ensuring sale of jute products, payment of the outstanding provident fund and gratuity to retired workers and settlement of insurance benefits to the families of the deceased workers, recruitment of workers, regularization of temporary workers, reinstatement of sacked workers, and balancing, modernizing, rehabilitating, and expanding the jute mills for better productivity.
