Staff Reporter :
Thousands of workers of the nine state-owned jute mills in Khulna-Jashore industrial belt began demonstration on Sunday as part of their pre-scheduled agitation programme demanding implementation of wage commission.
The workers also threatened to go on hunger strike unto death from Tuesday (Dec 10).
The workers from Star, Platinum, Crescent, Alum, Eastern, Carpeting and three other Mills started the sit-in in front of their respective mills around 9:30am on Sunday.
On November 23, they demonstrated to press home their 11-point demand, including payment of due salary and implementation of wage commission.
The authorities however paid them salaries of 12 weeks on December 6.
The other demands included cancellation of public-private ownership and payment of provident fund gratuity for retired workers.
Sahana Sarmin, President of Platinum Workers Union, said that the government is yet did not implement the wage commission though it was announced in 2015.
“We are going to start a fast-unto-death from December 10 to press home our demands,” she said. Murad Hossain, former President of Crescent Jute Mills CBA, said, “The authorities always give assurance as part of their policy to keep the workers away from the demonstration. “But this time, we won’t go back,” he said.
There are in total 30,600 workers with the nine state-run jute mills in Khulna and Jashore.
On November 23, the workers announced the seven-day agitation programme under the banner of “State-owned Jute Mill Collective Bargaining Association (CBA) and Non-CBA Sangram Parishad”.
The programme was announced at separate meetings and demonstrations in Khulna-Jashore region mills on November 23.
The announced programmes included procession on November 25, hunger strike at different mill gates from 8am to 5pm on November 27, protest rally on December 2, and strike on December 5.
