Staff Reporter :Workers of seven state-owned jute mills in Khulna on Thursday suspended their ongoing road and rail blockade programmes alongside indefinite strike till Sunday.Mohammad Sohrab Hossain, convener of the Collective Bargaining Agent (CBA) and non-CBA Oikya Parishad of the seven jute mills, said they came up with the decision after fruitful negotiations with the district administration. “The district administration assured us of paying the wages of two weeks on Sunday. And the rest payment will be given in phases quickly. So, we have decided to suspend our ongoing road and rail blockade programmes alongside indefinite strike till Sunday,” Sohrab Hossain told The New Nation yesterday. The agitating jute mill workers continued their road and rail blockade programmes alongside indefinite strike in the last four days to press home their five-point demand.The CBA and non-CBA Oikya Parishad of the seven jute mills — Crescent Jute Mills, Platinum Jute Mills, Khalishpur Jute Mills, Star Jute Mills, Eastern Jute Mills, Jessore Jute Mills and Carpeting Jute Mills — enforced the strike on Monday morning.As part of their programmes, the agitating workers on Thursday laid a siege to the Dhaka-Jessore highway by setting fire to tyres on the road and took position on the railway track at Natun Rasta intersection. Many workers in the guise of beggars took part in the blockade programmes at different strategic points of Khalishpur industrial belt yesterday. The demands of the workers include adequate allocation for the jute industry, payment of their arrears, formation of a wage board and stopping the move to privatise the state-owned jute mills.Earlier on March 16, they gave the government April 3 deadline to meet their demands.The blockade also halted vehicular movement on the highway and train service on the rail route still yesterday afternoon, causing immense sufferings to passengers.Around 35,000 workers of the seven jute mills are passing worst days due to non-payment of their weekly wages since the last two months.
