Hardboard mill workers' ultimatum to authorities

Khulna Hardboard Mills workers yesterday issued an ultimatum to the management to accept their 3-point demand by August 28.
The decision was taken at a closed-door meeting held at the union office with its president Md. Abdul Hannan in the chair.
The workers union will observe human chain programme from 11am to 12 noon today to press home their demands.
Earlier on Sunday evening, agitated workers of the state-owned Khulna Hardboard Mills went on rampage at about 6:30pm at the venue of their sit-in programme soon after receiving the information that BCIC head office in Dhaka ignored their call for fulfilling the three-point demand.
They damaged most windows panes after storming into the mill's administrative building. Later at 7:30pm, they brought out a torch procession in the mill compound raising slogans against the mill authorities and creating panic in that area.
On receipt of information, two platoons of police in riot gear rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
An hour after the incident, the leaders of the workers union agreed to keep their agitation programme in abeyance on request from state minister for labour and employment Begum Mannujan Sufian.
The state minister assured the workers of payment of their arrears and festival bonus by the mill management before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Before that she held a meeting with us, said president of Harbdoard Mill Workers Union Md. Abdul Hannan.
None of the top officials of the management -- such as managing director Kazi Ruhul Amin, manager (commercial) Shahidul Islam, administrative officer Nitai Chandra Roy, deputy manager (forest) Rafiqul Islam and accounts officer Sarwar Hossain were present at the meeting with state minister as they were besieged by workers in the administrative building from 9am to 10:30pm.
The workers of the mill laid the siege to press home their three demands -- payment of arrear wages of last June and July, payment of Eid bonus and allocation of adequate fund by the government to resume production at the mill.