Workers reject BJMC offer for voluntary retirement

"It is a new plot by BJMC to close down the mills and deprive workers of their arrears", Sardar Motahar Hossain, convenor of Khulna-Jessore Regional Committee of Patkal Sangram Parishad (PSP), told this correspondent yesterday.

About 1500 workers and employees of the eight mills who went on voluntary retirement in December last year on such BJMC assurance are yet to get their arrears amounting to Tk 90 crore, the Motahar said.

Discontent is brewing and violence is feared in the industrial belts after the BJMC chairman issued an official order extending lay-off of Peoples Jute Mills, Crescent Jute Mills and Star Jute Mills by 15 days more with effect from May 10, he said.

Coordinator of Khulna zonal office of BJMC Shaikh Shamim Ahmed received the faxed letter Tuesday evening. The letter bears signature of BJMC secretary Md Fazlul Haque.

In the face of workers' agitation for arrear salary, the BJMC on April 19 laid off the three jute mills for 21 days and the Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill for 45 days.

In another notice, BJMC urged workers and employees of the eight jute mills to go on voluntary retirement within 10 days from Tuesday to get 'full payment of gratuity, provident fund and arrear wages and salaries'.

Workers and employees of the four jute mills stopped work from last April 16 and launched agitation for payment of their arrear wages and salaries which triggered clashes with police that left over 150 injured. Seventy-seven workers were arrested.

Government allocated Tk 19.74 crore for partial payment out of Tk 70 crore arrear wages and salaries. The partial payment began on April 28.

When contacted, former BNP whip Ashraf Hossain termed extension of the lay-off and notice for voluntary retirement a 'new conspiracy to destroy jute mills of Khulna-Jessore area'.

He said Tk 3,000 crore would be required for payment of gratuity and provident fund of workers and employees of the eight jute mills and another Tk 300 crore to resume production in the mills and make them profitable again, he said.

BJMC has violated law because it can not issue notice asking workers to go on voluntary retirement while the lay-off is in force, said Ashraf Hossain, who was a prominent labour leader in Khalishpur industrial belt in the 60s.