Memo demanding restart of Barapukuria mining
Bangladeshi miners yesterday submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through the deputy commissioner of Dinajpur demanding early resumption coal mining at Barapukuria Coal Mine.
The authorities suspended mining at Barapukuria Coal Mine following an incident on May 11. One Bangladeshi miner was killed and 18 others, including two Chinese miners, were injured in a roof collapse inside the coalmine on the day.
Md Rabiul Islam, President of Barapukuria Coal Mine Company Limited (BCMCL) Sramik-Karmachari Union, submitted the memorandum to the prime minister through Deputy Commissioner Md Jamal Uddin at his office in the afternoon.
In the memorandum, the sramik-karmachari Union stated that the authorities of the BCMCL and its contracted company suspended activities inside the coalmine on May 11, leaving about 800 miners jobless. The union sought prime minister's intervention in resuming mining at Barapukuria Coal Mine.
On June 29, CMC-XMC Consortium, the contracted company of BCMCL, laid off 160 Bangladesh miners. As the miners launched an agitation demanding withdrawal of the layoff notices, the BCMCL authorities on June 1 hung a notice at two entrances to the BCMCL complex, prohibiting entry of Bangladeshi miners into the complex.
On Saturday, the union leaders and BCMCL official held a meeting at BCMCL conference room to resolve the crisis, but the meeting ended inconclusively.
At the meeting, the miners demanded 80 percent of their total wages while the BCMCL authorities agreed to pay 50 percent of the wages until the coal production resumes, said Shariful Islam, acting general secretary of BCMCL Sramik- Karmachari Union.
Md Rabiul Islam, president of the union, said the BCMCL authorities have suspended coal mining and are now curtailing the due wages of the miners.
The BCMCL sources said Bangladeshi miners work with BCMCL under 'no work no pay' agreement. But the authorities have agreed to pay 50 percent of their wages on humanitarian ground.
Managing Director of BCMCL Engineer Quamruzzaman, DGM ABM Kamruzzaman, Administrative officer Shariful Islam, General Manager (mining) Mir Abdul Matin and leaders of the Sramik-Karmachari Union were present at the meeting.
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