Closed-door Meeting
No headway on reopening of 8 jute mills
Staff Correspondent, Khulna
The six-member BJMC team led by its chairman yesterday held a meeting with high officials of eight laid-off state owned jute mills in Khulna-Jessore industrial belt. The meeting, held at BJMC zonal office at Charerhat in Khalishpur began at 10-30 am and lasted till 1-30 pm. Officials of the mills included their general managers, DGMs, project directors, chief account officers, production managers, sales officers and engineers. The closed-door meeting discussed the running capital to be required for reopening laid-off mills, maintenance cost of outdated machines, severe power crisis, payments to those who would go on voluntary retirement and the recent labour unrest in the industrial belts. No decision was taken at the meeting whether the laid-off mills would be reopened or not. A final decision will come shortly after reviewing the report to be submitted to government by BJMC chairman, said its zonal coordinator Shamim Ahmed. Members of the team will visit all eight state-owned jute mills today before returning to Dhaka. Meanwhile, leaders of Khulna regional committee of Patkal Sangram Parishad (PSP) yesterday reiterated their demand for payment of arrear wages and salaries of workers and employees. Shamim said there is little hope of reopening the laid-off mills unless at least fifty per cent of the workers are sent on voluntary retirement.
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