JSD urges govt to reverse ‘suicidal’ decision to shut jute mills

Leaders from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, or JSD, have urged the government to withdraw what they said was a ‘suicidal’ decision to close down the jute mills and run each of them as an ‘enterprise’.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 5 July 2020, 08:29 AM
Updated : 5 July 2020, 08:29 AM

The government can modernise the 25 jute mills with only Tk 12.5 billion to ‘run them properly’, instead of Tk 50 billion estimated for worker compensations, said the leaders.

This budget will be enough to pay salaries of 25,000 workers at the rate of Tk 25,000 a month and also to turn a profit, they said.

JSD leaders urged the government to initiate a pilot project in coordination with workers’ representatives.

The government initiated a plan to modernise the loss-making jute sector and turn into a production-oriented industry under the private-public partnership.

As part of the plan, the government decided to shut down production at state-owned jute mills after making full payments to workers.

The shutdown will send about 25,000 workers into early retirement under a scheme, euphemistically called a golden handshake.

The decision came at a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina amid widespread unrest among jute mill workers over the government's decision to shut the loss-making mills.