In the wake of the indefinite strike of the jute industry beginning December 14 this year, the Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) has drawn the attention of the West Bengal government to a number of long-standing issues.
IJMA has been harping on these issues for a long time as these issues are yet to be resolved. These issues have been highlighted by IJMA in its recent letter to the West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and Anadi Kumar Sahu, the state's labour minister.
The association has pointed out that the jute industry in West Bengal has been kept under the labour department and is yet to receive an ‘Industrial Status’ despite being one of the biggest employers and highly-labour intensive, bringing in livelihood for around three crore people.
IJMA has reiterated its demand for fixing a sole bargaining agent on labour negotiations by replacing the old practice of multiple trade unions, which is a major impediment for the industry achieving its productivity targets.
The jute industry has also stressed upon the West Bengal government on the implementation of productivity linked wages of 33.3 per cent in the jute mills of the state. This measure is yet to be implemented despite agreements signed to this effect in 2002 and 2004.
Due to the delay in the implementation of the productivity linked wages, the jute trade unions are openly flouting the tripartite agreements of 2002 and 2004.
IJMA has sought the restoration of the public utility status for the jute industry under Industrial Disputes Act as jute is covered under Essential Commodities Act and caters to the country’s PDS.
The West Bengal government withdrew the status for the jute industry from 2006 without assigning any reason. Moreover, IJMA has sought the West Bengal government's intervention on high rates of absenteeism of workers in the jute industry. The issue of absenteeism has become a regular affair and needs to be addressed immediately because if the situation continues, the jute mills will be starved of workers resulting in closure of jute mills and production cuts as well as job losses, IJMA pointed out
Further, the jute association has yet again appealed to the West Bengal government to resolve the vexed issue of the availability of certified seeds in every jute season for a timely and better yield.
Repeated reminders and requests sent to the state agricultural department by IJMA has failed to evoke a response on the matter and the farmers in West Bengal run short of the certified jute seeds every year.
