Workers to block highway for arrears

The laid-off workers of state-owned Alim Jute Mills at Atra Industrial Area in the city will put up barricades today at different points of Khulna-Jessore Highway demanding withdrawal of layoff notice and payment of arrears.
The workers who quit their jobs under Voluntary Retirement Scheme (VRS) will also join them. The dawn-to-dusk programme has been called as the deadline of an ultimatum given to government earlier to meet their demands expires today.
On Saturday, these workers observed a token hunger strike from 9:00am to 4:00pm in front of mill gate to press home their demands.
A group of workers of Alim Jute Mills have already decided to go for self-immolation any day if government fails to fulfil their demands, CBA leaders Abdul Halim Sardar, Sheikh Ansar Ali and Amirul Islam said.
Laid off and retired workers of five other jute mills of Khulna-Jessore industrial belt will also join tomorrow's road blockade programme, Abdur Rahman, publicity secretary of Khulna-Jessore Regional Unit of Patkal Sangram Parishad (PSP), said.
On August 21 this year, 801 of 811 workers, 50 out of 57 employees and 6 out of 20 officials of Alim Jute Mills applied to the management for quitting their jobs under VRS.
The management, however, accepted the applications of 223 workers and 45 employees on October 1.
The mill was laid off for the first time on September 22 for a month. The layoff was extended three times and the last layoff notice was issued on December 6.