Clicky
National, Back Page

Jute mills hands to get all their dues


Published : 03 Jul 2020 09:45 PM | Updated : 06 Sep 2020 10:28 PM

The government pledged to address all pending issues demanded by the state-owned jute mills workers saying that no jute mills workers will be deprived and the state would pay them all their due arrears.

The government also announced that the workers volunteering to go on retirement would get their June month’s wages by next week and steps will be taken to rehabilitate them early.

The Textile and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi said this at an emergency press conference on the announcement of the closure of production activities of state-owned jute mills in the country on Friday.

He, however, said that before sending them to voluntary retirement, the government will pay all their due salaries, provident fund, gratuity, and others.

“Workers will also get wages of 60 days--July and August. Of the total, fifty percent of all arrears including provident fund (PF), gratuity, and golden handshake facilities will directly go to workers’ bank accounts while the rest amount will be paid through savings certificate,” he added.

He added that under the National Wage Structure – 2015, the workers will be paid and when the jute mills will go for operation under private-public partnership they will get jobs on priority basis.

State Minister for Labor Monnujan Sufian said that the government is not closing these mills, rather these will go for production with all modern amenities under private-public partnership.

She said, “In my view, the workers are not becoming unemployed. There will be good opportunities if they desire to be in a good working place.”

During the press conference textile and jute ministry secretary Lokman Hossain Mia was also present along with other union leaders of the jute mills.

It is to be noted that the government has decided to shut down production of 25 state-run jute mills under Bangladesh Jute Mill Corporation (BJMC) by providing 100 percent dues of some 25,000 workers of the mills.
The decision came at a meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair at her residence Ganobhaban on Thursday.