With the Centre assuring steps for reopening jute mills in West Bengal, a meeting by the Central Chief Labour Commissioner has been convened on February 9 here.
However, the trade unions which have struck work for an indefinite period have rejected proposals offered by Indian Jute Mills Association (IJMA) on the contentious issue of dearness allowance.
"We reject the offers from IJMA. We will not give up our demand. There is a meeting by the Central Chief labour Commissioner on February 9, let's see what happens," CPI-M backed Bengal Chaktal Mazdoor Union Secretary Gobinda Guha told PTI here today. Of the 54 jute mills in the state, 52 are closed for the last 50 days due to the strike by trade unions demanding wage revision.
The meeting follows the Centre's upbraiding of the state government for 'shying away from its responsibility' vis-a-vis the jute strike. It said on February 5 that steps would be taken to ensure the reopening of the jute mills in a week. The Centre's statement followed Trinamool Congress chief and Railways Minister Mamata Banerjee meeting with Textiles Minister Dayanidhi Maran on Friday.
Maran had on December 2 turned down West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee's call to intervene citing labour as a state subject. The IJMA had, meanwhile, softened its stand and offered two options on DA payment to the jute workers in which the total burden on mills would be between Rs 803 crore and Rs 989 crore till 2012. But the trade unions rejected both.
IJMA Chairman Sanjay Kajaria had said unless there was revision in jute product prices by the Centre as recommended by the Tariff Commission, the mill owners were unable to fulfill the workers' demands.
