The sad saga of jute mill workers
Another humanitarian disaster prescribed by Bretton Woods Institutions?
On July 10 this year, Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation served the notice of closure on 3,300 permanent and 2,000 non-permanent/ temporary workers of the People's Jute Mill. Centering this jute mill, the total population of factory campus was near about 1,00,000. On July 31, People's Jute Mill was closed down finally. Earlier before the closure, the mill was suffering from loss and the workers were not getting their wages for last eight months. The Jute Mill authority, however, had paid 3,92,98,000/ taka as due arrears or wages of 2675 permanent workers within 8-12 August. But, the workers were yet to get their provident fund and gratuity money.
Anguish and frustration was looming in other Jute Mills (Crescent, Platinum and Star) of Khalishpur, Khulna. The workers of Star Jute mill were continuing on their strike for the demand of realising unpaid wages and the mill authority was trying its best for conciliation. The non-permanent (badli) workers of Platinum Jute Mill were also on strike for payment of their non-paid remuneration. Lay-off was declared in Hasian Unit of Crescent Jute Mill where around 802 workers were working.
The information was disclosed by Samaj Progati Sangstha (SPS), a non-government development organisation, based in Khulna and works with the Jute Mill laborers.
"I have worked for the People's Jute Mill for the last 27 years. This factory premise was the dearest area in my life but now the mill authority has ordered us to leave the premise within the first half of September," said 50-year old Abdul Khaleq as he was standing with other fellow workers in front of the brick-red factory gate of the People's Jute Mill in the morning of 31 August.
A permanent worker of the soft machine section of the mill, Abdul Khaleq is the sole bread earner for his huge family with wife, four daughters and three sons. He used to draw 7,000 taka as monthly salary which had remained unpaid for more than eight months. "Three of my sons and daughters are studying in schools and colleges. I don't know how can I maintain their study any longer!" he said.
The condition of Kamal Hossain Sentu (40) is more vulnerable as he has remained a temporary worker for the last 24 years. He was not entitled to even the non-paid wages or arrears. He has a large family with an old mother, wife, two kids and eight siblings.
Enough of individual stories! How many workers' stories can be narrated one by one? Everybody's stories get merged with another's! The tears, lamentations, pain and agony are all the same.
Women's labour cheap labour
We three free-lance or amateur writers went to Khalishpur on August 30. On August 31, we went to the People's Jute Mill factory premise and serially roved around the workers' colony mill, high school, the railway slum for "poorer sections of the workers" and the campus of Crescent and Platinum Jute mills along with the workers' colonies. It appeared to us that female workers without husbands (either widow, divorced/ separated/deserted or unmarried) are the most vulnerable of all. They were rarely granted appointment letter as permanent worker. Always they had to work as non-permanent, least paid and first to be sacked or retrenched. Tale of Kohinoor Begum (40) and her daughter Fatema (16) touched us profoundly. Fatema's father Liton Hawlader died thirteen years ago. He was a permanent worker of People's Jute Mill. Since her husband's death, Kohinoor has been working as a temporary worker of the mill and raising her daughter in a shabby makeshift of the railway slum. But, as she was terminated three years back even from the non-permanent job, she had been working as a maidservant and could no more afford her daughter's school. "I passed that year from class VI to VII. But, later could not purchase books and continue my studies," said Fatema with tears in her eyes. No fortune for the future generation
People's Jute Mill High School's over-all future is, however, now at stake. Around 19 teachers, 818 students and their guardians are concerned over functioning of the school in near future. A letter signed by BJMC Secretary on July 30, 2007 stated that the school would run despite the closure of the jute mill. The same official had issued another letter on August 8 inquiring about the management cost (how it would run after closure of the mill, whether any non-governmental organisation would bear the maintenance cost of the school, whether the teachers would get government support etc.) on an immediate basis. Meantime, BRAC started to provide education support to students (boys only) of Peoples' Jute Mill High School. But what would happen to other students? What the trade union leaders say:
"I was an activist of Crescent Trade Union for eight years at a stretch. We have witnessed at least 20-22 large Trade Union movements in this jute mill campus. These movements mainly used to emphasise on payment of due wages or the Wage Commission. But, labour movement had been jeopardised owing to corruption and greed of a section of labour leaders," said Mohammad Abdul Karim, one of the terminated workers of Crescent Jute Mill. While asked about the cause of "loss" and "closure of Jute mill," they indicated corruption of BJMC as "solely responsible." "So far six workers have died in the movement against the IMF-World Bank prescribed closure of jute mills. Once upon a time, the workers' blood was very precious but now it costs very little," lamented the terminated male and female workers and their children. Audity Falguni, Brynn Kennedy are in Action Aid Bangladesh; Kevin McDonald works for SAP Bangladesh.
We three free-lance or amateur writers went to Khalishpur on August 30. On August 31, we went to the People's Jute Mill factory premise and serially roved around the workers' colony mill, high school, the railway slum for "poorer sections of the workers" and the campus of Crescent and Platinum Jute mills along with the workers' colonies. It appeared to us that female workers without husbands (either widow, divorced/ separated/deserted or unmarried) are the most vulnerable of all. They were rarely granted appointment letter as permanent worker. Always they had to work as non-permanent, least paid and first to be sacked or retrenched. Tale of Kohinoor Begum (40) and her daughter Fatema (16) touched us profoundly. Fatema's father Liton Hawlader died thirteen years ago. He was a permanent worker of People's Jute Mill. Since her husband's death, Kohinoor has been working as a temporary worker of the mill and raising her daughter in a shabby makeshift of the railway slum. But, as she was terminated three years back even from the non-permanent job, she had been working as a maidservant and could no more afford her daughter's school. "I passed that year from class VI to VII. But, later could not purchase books and continue my studies," said Fatema with tears in her eyes. No fortune for the future generation
People's Jute Mill High School's over-all future is, however, now at stake. Around 19 teachers, 818 students and their guardians are concerned over functioning of the school in near future. A letter signed by BJMC Secretary on July 30, 2007 stated that the school would run despite the closure of the jute mill. The same official had issued another letter on August 8 inquiring about the management cost (how it would run after closure of the mill, whether any non-governmental organisation would bear the maintenance cost of the school, whether the teachers would get government support etc.) on an immediate basis. Meantime, BRAC started to provide education support to students (boys only) of Peoples' Jute Mill High School. But what would happen to other students? What the trade union leaders say:
"I was an activist of Crescent Trade Union for eight years at a stretch. We have witnessed at least 20-22 large Trade Union movements in this jute mill campus. These movements mainly used to emphasise on payment of due wages or the Wage Commission. But, labour movement had been jeopardised owing to corruption and greed of a section of labour leaders," said Mohammad Abdul Karim, one of the terminated workers of Crescent Jute Mill. While asked about the cause of "loss" and "closure of Jute mill," they indicated corruption of BJMC as "solely responsible." "So far six workers have died in the movement against the IMF-World Bank prescribed closure of jute mills. Once upon a time, the workers' blood was very precious but now it costs very little," lamented the terminated male and female workers and their children. Audity Falguni, Brynn Kennedy are in Action Aid Bangladesh; Kevin McDonald works for SAP Bangladesh.
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