Many fall sick as jute mill workers continue fast-unto-death
Published : 01 Jan 2020, 11:41
Hundreds of jute mill workers fell ill with cold-related illnesses until Wednesday morning as they continued their fourth-day fast-to-death.
For their 11-point demands the employees of 12 state-owned mills in five districts continued their demonization, including a wage board for them, raised salary, and payment of dues.
In Khulna, Narsingdi and Rajshahi, at least 15 staff and many others needed intravenous saline.
Workers— under CBA-Non-CBA Sangram Parishad's banner— renewed their strike on Sunday as the government failed to meet their demands despite repeated attempts to do so by December 26.
The staff are on hunger strike for the fourth time in 2019 to drive their claims forward.
Its demands include the enforcement of the 2015 National Wage and Productivity Commission Prize, payment of unpaid wages, sufficient budget allocation for the jute sector and seasonal procurement of jute, settlement of the outstanding provident fund and gratuity to retired workers, and payment of insurance benefits to deceased employees ' families.
During the hunger strike between 10 December and 14 December, Abdus Sattar, a 55-year-old Platinum Jubilee Jute Mill worker, died in Khulna and over 1,000 employees fell sick across the country on their protest grounds.