Half of the unpaid wages of protesting jute mill workers who are now on strike will be cleared by the next week, State Minister for Textile and Jute Mirza Azam has said. “Half of the unpaid wages will be paid now while the rest gradually,” he told UNB recently. Almost 26,718 workers of eight Khulna-Jessore region’s state-owned jute mills have been on strike since December 28 last year to realize their 11-point demand, including their due wages. Their protest and the subsequent strike were reportedly orchestrated by the jute mills’ collective bargaining agents (CBAs) and non-CBA union leaders. According to Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation, the jute mills, now in strike usually produce 225 tonnes of jute goods a day.

Source: Dhaka Tribune January 23, 2018 21:33 UTC