SM Mizanur Rahman :
In the wake of the strike by Khulna jute mill workers, the government on Monday allocated Tk 1000 crore for 27 state-run jute mills of the country for payment of arrears and procurement of raw jute.
The decision was taken at the regular Cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The jute mill workers will get their dues before Pahela Baishakh, State Minister for Textiles and Jute Mirza Azam told journalists at his secretariat office yesterday.
He called upon all employees and workers to withdraw their blockade programme and join work immediately. “You all will get your dues before the Pahela Baishakh,” he said.
Briefing journalists after the cabinet meeting, he said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked the Finance Ministry to take immediate measures in this regard.
The Prime Minister on Monday directed the Finance Ministry to allocate Tk 1000 crore to the Textiles and Jute Ministry for payment of arrears of state-run jute mill workers and purchase of raw jute, Mirza Azam said.
“Besides, we have also been asked to pay Tk 300 crore immediately in a bid to clear the dues of the employees and workers before Pahela Baishakh. The decision came as per instruction of the Prime Minister,” he said.
“Of the total amount, Tk 600 crore has been allocated for the salaries and allowances of the workers,” Mirza Azam said.
On Monday, after a three-day break workers of seven state-owned jute mills in Khulna laid siege to rail and road blockade to press home their five-point demand.
They also sought Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s intervention to implement their demands. If their demands are not met the situation would take a serious turn, they warned.
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.
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-started the strike on April 4.
Earlier on March 16, they had given the government an April 3 deadline to meet their demands.
Around 35,000 workers of the CBA and non-CBA Oikya Parishad of the seven jute mills took position at Natun Rasta intersection, Rail Gate, Atra and Shiromoni areas of the city around 6:00am yesterday and blocked Khulna-Jessore highway and railway route.
The agitating workers also laid a siege to the Dhaka-Jessore highway by setting fire to tyres on the road and uprooted the fishplate of the railway truck at Natun Rasta intersection.
The blockade halted vehicular movement on the highway and train service on the rail route, causing immense sufferings to passengers.
