Monday Business News

Jute workers’ strike for wage 
hike continues in Khulna 
Staff Correspondent . Khulna 

Export section of jute press and bailing workers at Daulatpur in Khulna continued their indefinite strike for wage hike on Sunday for the fourth consecutive day.
  The raw jute exporters at Daulatpur had no alternative to send jute either to Mongla port or Chittagong port for shipment, which hampered exports of jute.
  Daulatpur Jute Press and Bailing Union president Sheikh Moniruzzaman told New Age that the workers were leading a miserable life as raw jute exporters had not increased their wages since October, 2006 when the last agreement between the union and the Bangladesh Jute Association had expired.
  He said the jute traders and shippers had not paid any heed to their demands for increase in wages over the last two years taking advantage of the state of emergency in the country.
  Though prices of essentials have increased sharply since the expiry of the last agreement between the two sides, their wages have not been increased, he said.
  Terming the workers’ strike illegal, a member of the labour-agreement sub-committee of BJA told New Age that they had eight unofficial meetings with union leaders to solve the issue, but could not reach an agreement with them till Sunday afternoon.
  According to the union sources, about 12,000 workers work in 11 sections of 14 jute press and about 100 jute bailing companies in Khulna on ‘no work no pay’ basis.