Laid-off jute workers start getting paid
Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation (BJMC) will begin making payments to the laid off workers of 25 shuttered state-run jute mills of the country.
Today, 1,759 workers of Karim Jute Mills Ltd will receive their dues through bank cheques at a programme. Textiles and Jute Minister Golam Dastagir Gazi will hand over the cheques to the workers at the capital's Demra.
They will be the first workers to receive their dues since the closure of the state run jute mills on July 1.
Officials of BJMC, the regulating body of the country's jute mills, said that workers of other jute mills will also gradually receive their dues according to the labour law and recommendations of the national wage and productivity commission 2015.
"We are trying our best to disburse all sorts of dues to the workers on time. We've finalised discussions with the relevant offices. We are starting this payment programme with the workers of Karim Jute Mills tomorrow [today]," said Md Abdur Rouf, chairman of BJMC.
"We shall pay all the workers of every jute mill one by one throughout this month," he said.
BJMC and ministry sources informed that the ministry is going to pay two months' salaries in lieu of notice, one week's due wages from last June and unpaid festival allowances for the Bengali New Year.
Besides, 612 retired workers and 2,625 substitute workers will also receive their due wages and benefits.
The finance ministry has allocated Tk 80.79 crore for this purpose.
The due wages and benefits of the workers will be sent directly to their bank accounts.
On July 3, the Textiles and Jute minister at a press briefing announced that all the workers will receive their due wages from the previous months, two months' wages in lieu of notice and other financial benefits according to the recommendations of the national productivity and wage commission 2015.
Every worker will get 50 percent of the total wages and all sorts of benefits to their bank accounts and the remaining 50 percent will be disbursed through Savings Instruments.
In total, 8,954 retired workers (since 2014) and 24,886 laid off workers of the state run jute mills will receive their due wages and other financial benefits. A fund of Tk 5,000 crore was promised to be allocated in this regard.