Seven-Point Demand
Hard rock miners' 24-hr ultimatum
The agitating miners of Maddhapara Granite Mining Company Ltd (MGMCL) gave a 24-hour ultimatum to the authorities to meet their seven-point demand including reinstatement of five fellow miners and withdrawing the case against them.
The ultimatum came from a press conference at Dinajpur Press Club yesterday threatening to go on “tough agitation” otherwise from Tuesday.
Earlier on Saturday morning, all the 292 miners and workers of the company started an indefinite strike protesting filing of a case against five top executive members including the president and the secretary general of the Miners and Workers' Union of the company.
“If our demands aren't met within 24 hours starting today (yesterday), we'll wage a tougher movement including blocking of the Phulbari-Rangpur highway from Tuesday morning,” said Md Mostafizur Rahman, general secretary of the union.
Miners at the press conference alleged that the MGMCL authorities last week terminated five miners without serving any show-cause notice on them.
Captain (retd) SR Patwary, chief liaison officer of Blue Star Services, which recruited the miners for MGMCL, said they issued discharge letters to the five miners.
Meanwhile, miners of Barapukuria Coal Mine and workers of Barapukuria Power Plant expressed solidarity with the miners of MGMCL.
Miners have been long demanding regularisation of their job with MGMCL in vain. Against this backdrop, they protested appointments of nine officials and held demonstration when the officials went to the site for joining on November 23.
MGMCL authorities said the miners assaulted the officials and snatched their appointment letters. The company dismissed five miners and filed a case against them following the incident.
Md Abul Basar, general manager (admin) of MGMCL, said the miners have been hired through the outsourcing company as per the decision of Executive Committee of National Economic Council (Ecnec).
“So MGMCL cannot regularise their job. But we've informed the ministry concerned about the miners' demands,” he said.
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