Many of the depressed workers of the jute mill, the largest in the country after the closure of Adamjee Jute Mills, are now trying to go into voluntary retirement offered by the authorities earlier.

At an emergency meeting after Thursday's bloody incident, the mill authorities arranged payment of one week's wage to the workers.

But the workers, living in abject misery, find it too scanty to meet their requirement.

Meanwhile, a case was filed with Panchlaish Police Station accusing 22 people arrested on Thursday and another 500 unidentified workers of the mill.

A Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) camp has been set up near the entry of the staff quarter while a large number of police including Armed Police Battalion have been deployed at the main gate of the factory to avert further violence.

Assistant Commissioner Mizanur Rahman of Panchlaish Zone said the situation was under their control.

The authorities formed a three-member committee to probe the Thursday incident.

During a visit to the mill workers' colonies where some 3,000 workers live in some 29 rows of quarters in a miserable condition, this correspondent yesterday observed a strong resentment and frustration among the workers.

"I don't know how to do with the one week's wage of Tk 560 when I owe over Tk 4000 to restaurant, grocery, tea-stall and the barber," said mill worker Khorshed Alam.

"I even don't know how my family members would survive as I could not send a single taka to them in last two months," he said in a tone of helplessness.

Many of the workers are now ready to quit the job instantly if the authorities pay their outstanding wages and other benefits.

"How long could we continue the job with such irregular payments and sometimes non-payment?" said Md Hazrat Ali, a permanent worker of sewing section who joined the factory in 1978.

Hazrat was among the 830 permanent workers who had already submitted applications on Wednesday for going into voluntary retirement responding to a one-day verbal notice the authority made just the day before.

Those who failed to submit application for voluntary retirement within the 24-hour time on Wednesday are now trying to persuade the authorities to accept their applications.

They are also in great uncertainty in this regard since those pushed into retrenchment back in 2001 and into 'golden handshake' in 2004-2005 are yet to have a large portion of the gratuity money.

Besides, 107 workers who went into normal retirement in December last year did not get any money from the provident fund or gratuity, which are supposed to be paid off within 30 days of the retirement as per law.

One of the retired workers, Ahsan Ullah, 58, said he is in a miserable condition since he can neither run his seven-member family nor take much-needed treatment he needed so badly for his old-age complications.

However, none of the workers wanted closure of the jute mills.

"How could we support or bear a tragic end of a large mill for which we had shed our blood and sweat for years?" said a middle-aged worker Tofail Mia.

Many of the workers involved in Thursday's clash said their demand for wage against their work was justified.

"We demanded the money as we worked for the mill where production is going on till date," said Hafizur Rahman, a worker of unit-2.

As the payments are irregular, many workers are forced to take up different part-time jobs like helper in a tempo, bus or truck or pulling rickshaw for their survival.

Bashar, one of the eight workers living in a single room of the colony, looked immensely happy as the little amount of wage paid on Thursday enabled them to buy chicken after a long time.