The vulgar disparity of life

Nur Alom (47) was a substitute worker at a Khulna jute mill that shut down on July 1, 2020.

After losing his job, he tried working as a construction worker, pickle hawker, bus helper, and vegetable seller to meet at least the food expenses of his family of five.

The correspondent recently met Alom in front of the main gate of Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill, his previous workplace, while he was selling vegetables on a van.

"I joined as a substitute worker at Platinum Jute Mill of Khalishpur in 1997. My father Abdul Sattar worked there for 36 years and retired in 1994. He only got Tk 1,20,000 after retiring," said Alom.

Asked how he has been passing his days, he replied that he lives a subpar life at a rented one-room flat in Khalishpur industrial area with his family.

"We were living a healthy life in the workers' colony, but the authority kicked us out following the mill's closure."

"I can't afford the basic educational expenses of my school-going daughters after paying the rent. I need over Tk 1,000 every month to look after my ailing mother," he added.

Alom worked as a substitute at Platinum Jute Mill for 23 years. The mill authorities gave him Tk 1,10,000, as per the wage commission formed in 2015. He has been offered no other benefits.

The jute minister, a day after the closure, announced at a press conference that all the arrears of the workers would be paid within two months, and the mills would be modernised and reopened within three months.

During a recent visit to at least four jute mills of Khalishpur, including Platinum and Crescent, this correspondent saw that the entire area has turned into an abandoned haunted zone as if struck by some big natural calamity.

According to Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation's (BJMC) Khulna zone, 14,351 workers out of the 14,996 of the seven state-owned jute mills had gotten a golden handshake of Tk 1,352 crore out of Tk 1,569 crore, while 13,339 substitute workers out of the 14,078 had been given Tk 105 crore out of Tk 109 crore.

Their collective dues currently stand at Tk 114.19 crore.

Md Murad Hossain, general manager of Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill, said, "We paid Tk 400 crore out of the 428 crore to 3,776 permanent workers out of the 3,800. Of them, 24 are yet to get paid due to confusion regarding the spelling of their names."

"Around 800 substitute workers are yet to get Tk 3.42 crore, while over 3,000 permanent workers are yet to get Tk 111 crore for trivial issues like spelling confusions," said Ruhul Amin, coordinator of Sramik-Krishak-Chhatra-Janata Oikya Parishad.

Md Golam Rabbani, BJMC liaison officer, said, "The mills would be modernised and reopened soon through a PPP or G2G agreement. Already four mills -- Platinum, JJI, Daulatpur and Crescent -- have been tendered."