Leaders belonging to labour rights organisations have called on the interim government to reopen 26 nationalised jute mills and nine sugar mills that were shut down during the previous Awami League regime. The demand was made on Friday during a human chain demonstration in front of the National Press Club, jointly organised by the Jatiya Sramik Federation, the National Garments Workers Federation, and the Ekota Garments Sramik Federation, reported New Age.
Labour leader Amirul Haque Amin, who chaired the event, accused the Sheikh Hasina-led government of closing the mills under the pretext of financial losses, despite mismanagement being the real cause.
“Over the past 15 years of Sheikh Hasina’s misrule, nine sugar mills were shut down, throwing thousands of workers into unemployment. The workers were not responsible for the losses; it was the result of mismanagement,” said Amirul.
He further urged the interim government, led by Professor Muhammad Yunus, to take swift action to reopen the mills and recover the Tk 28 lakh crore allegedly laundered abroad during the Awami League’s rule.
Labour leader Abul Hossain echoed similar sentiments, saying, “The mismanagement of Bangladesh Jute Mills Corporation played a major role in the financial collapse of the state-run jute and sugar mills.”
Other speakers at the demonstration included labour leaders ASM Zakaria, Anwar Ali, Lokman Ali, Mohammad Didier Hossain, and Monira Munni, all of whom called for an end to worker exploitation and urged the interim government to prioritise reopening the mills.
The Awami League government officially closed all state-run jute mills on June 2, 2020, leaving around 50,000 workers unemployed overnight. Six months later, the government also suspended production at six state-run sugar mills, citing the need to “minimise the accumulated losses” of the Bangladesh Sugar and Food Industries Corporation.
