Workers protest Bidi factory closure

Around 15,000 workers of the Jessore-based Akij Bidi Limited started protests on Wednesday after the factory management closed down the factory, saying the high tax on the bidis had made it untenable.

The workers blocked the road near the factory demanding withdrawal of the tax slapped on bidis in the 2013-14 budget.

Witnesses said a stretch of road in Jhikargacha Upazila’s Navaran Puratan Bazar area was blocked, disrupting traffic on Jessore-Satkhira and Jessore-Benapole roads.

Factory Manager Siddiqur Rahman told bdnews24.com that the price of a bidi would now be as much as that of a low-cost cigarette due to higher taxes.

“That is why we have been forced to shut down our company.We are no more competitive,” he said.

The factory in Jhikargacha was closed on Wednesday morning.

Jessore bidi-workers coordination committee member Fazlur Rahman said their protests will continue until the government withdraws the fresh tax imposed on bidis.

Finance Minister AMA Muhith in his budget speech at Parliament on Jun 6 announced a tax hike on bidis after four years.

He proposed raising supplementary duty to 30 percent (from the existing 20 percent).

Due to the hike, a filter-less packet of 25 bidis will now cost Tk 5.80 instead of Tk 4.36 and a filtered 20-bidi-packet will cost Tk 6.30 against Tk 4.93.

Akij bidi factory has 3,000 permanent and nearly 12,000 contract-based workers, most of whom are women.

Factory Manager Siddiqur Rahman said these people will be unemployed now. “The government should consider the implications of higher taxes.”

On the other hand, anti-tobacco campaigners have been pushing for a hike on bidi prices, saying that would prevent consumption and protect health.