Shutting Down Jute Mills: BNP says it’s anti-people move
BNP on Mon described the government’s decision to turn off state-owned jute mills mailing around 25,000 personnel into early retirement through 'golden handshake' as an anti-people one.
Speaking in a virtual press briefing coming from BNP’s Nayapaltan central business office, get together senior joint secretary basic Ruhul Kabir Rizvi as well urged the federal government to move from this sort of a decision to lay off the jute staff amid the coronavirus pandemic.
“The government’s decision to close the state-owned jute mills and lay off the staff through golden handshake can be an anti-people move. Nobody, except the mass enemy, may take such a decision,” he said.
The BNP leader said the jute mills closure will only put the already struggling staff into a serious trouble. “Persons won’t admit this anti-persons decision of the authoritarian Awami government.”
On Sunday, Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi stated the State-owned Bangladesh Jute Mills Company (BJMC) will be halting businesses to avoid staggering losses.
He said around Tk 5,000 crore will get provided from the government budget over the matter and all arrears of 8,954 workers who retired since 2014 will come to be cleared, he said, adding that the overtime dues, PF fund, gratuity and highest 27 percent of gratuity will be paid for this workforce numbering 24,886.
Rizvi alleged that the country’s traditional jute sector is now on the verge of ruination only as a result of the government’s wrong plan and mismanagement.
He said Bangladesh Jute Mills Company (BJMC) continues to incur heavy losses because of corruption, plundering, wrong plans and inefficient administration. “However the workers are not really responsible for it.”
Rizvi said many staff, both found in formal and informal sectors, have become jobless even though many expatriates who returned residence also become unemployed because of the coronavirus outbreak.
Under such a predicament, the BNP head said, the government’s decision to close the jute mills is inhumane. “The so-called pro-liberation regime has taken the move going against the spirit of the Liberation War.”
He said it is the responsibility of the relevant ministry and BJMC to find markets for jute overseas, diversify jute goods and take steps to overcome the losses. “However the workers won’t consider any responsibility for the losses.”
