Workers of state-owned jute mills in Khulna and Jessore districts have brought out separate processions demanding a five-point demand including their arrears.
State-run Jute Mills CBA and non-CBA Oikkya Parishad called a five-day continual programme on the aforesaid ground in seven jute mills in the districts and yesterday was the first day of the movement.
Sources said the workers took position in Khalispur, Atra and Rajghat industrial areas around 9:30am and held rallies there. Later, they brought out a stick procession independently and paraded the thoroughfares.
The demands include necessary allocation for the survival of the jute sector, implementing packaging act urgently and formation of wage commission board for the workers.
In the programmes, the speakers termed their protest logical and said they would adopt tougher movement unless their demands are met by the government.
The organisation’s Convenor Md Shohrab Hossain said the staff and workers of the seven jute mills have been unpaid since last eid pushing them into a miserable condition with the family although earlier they had met the jute minister with the crisis.
Since the stocks of jute fibre have already sold out, the mill authorities kept the workers in arrears in the name of fund crunch, the convenor went on.
