Jute workers demand payment of arrears

The Jute-Yarn and Textile Workers Employees Sangram Parishad has demanded payment of arrears of workers.

Their demand came out from a press conference held at Dhaka Dhaka Reporters' Unity on Wednesday morning.

They also demanded the modernisation of state-owned jute mills and discussed the potential of the jute industry in the domestic and international markets.

A written statement was presented at the conference.

Quamrul Ahsan, the joint convener of the parishad gave a written statement while the convenor of the parishad and president of the Bangladesh Trade Union,  Shahidullah Chowdhury, called for the modernisation of state-owned jute mills.

In the statement, it was mentioned that about 51 thousand jute workers lost their livelihood when the state-owned jute mills were closed on 28 June last year. They have been paid and the new more than six lakh thousand crore budget gives no direction to paying them either or reopening the jute mills.

Therefore, the parishad demanded to reopen the jute mills, modernisation, addition of advanced equipment and proper utilisation, and payment of all arrears to the workers.

They also demanded direction and adequate allocation in the budget for these.

Their other demands include,

·         State should buy, not lease, advanced and modern equipment for the jute mills and open them;

·         Initiatives must be taken to implement the Tk1200 crore proposal to modernise the jute mills by the Sramik Karmachari Oiko Parishad;

·         Immediately pay the dues of the workers.

·         Declare and implement a minimum wage for the workers of jute and textile industry irrespective of individual ownership;

·         Workers working in specific posts for three consecutive months should be treated as permanent workers in accordance with Section 4(8) of the Labour Act and their rights should be ensured;

·         Directions and adequate allocations should be made in the budget to reopen the state-owned jute mills and to pay the arrear to the workers;

·         Resist against the destruction of jute, jute mill, jute sector and punish those involved in corruption and looting.