About 20 trade unions operating in jute mills have decided to go for an indefinite strike from December 14 this year, demanding payment of their statutory requirements, primarily dearness allowance, provident fund, gratuity and bonus. “At a meeting attended by 20 trade unions working in the jute industry we have unanimously decided to go on an indefinite strike,” said Gobinda Guha, General Secretary, Bengal Chatkal Mazdoor Union.
The workers have also urged the Union Government to authorise the Jute Corporation of India (JCI) to procure jute directly from the jute growers and supply it to the industry, he added. “The indefinite strike will escalate jute prices further,” said Sanjay Kajaria, chairman, Indian Jute Mills’ Association (IJMA).
In 2007 there was an industry wide strike for 63 days, which was followed by another 18 days' strike in 2008.
There are nearly four million farmers involved in the raw jute production in West Bengal. “Prices of finished Hessian goods has already increased by about nine per cent from Rs 55,000 per tonne to Rs 60,000 per tonne over the last fortnight as they have already discounted for the forthcoming strike,” said Kajaria.
The jute industry has been witnessing labour unrest and frequent strikes over the last few years on issues like non-payment of standing provident fund (PF) and gratuity dues.
In May last year, a personnel of a jute mill in Titagarh, North 24-Parganas, was battered to death in his office on the mill premises, while the Sangrami Mazdoor Union (SMU) conducted protests in the premises.
The shrinking demand for jute in the packaging industry has also been a cause of concern for jute mill owners. Of the 59 jute mills in and around Kolkata, 52 are operating. Even in the operating jute mills, the production has been falling.
